Serendipity
by demoNiko
Summary: Haruno Sakura finds something that changed her life. Although it wasn't what she was expecting to find nor what she expected to happen, it all fell into place.
1. Team 7's Vacation

The air was mostly humid at this time of year, but that didn't stop a certain kunoichi from taking on a small trip to another town. Like the Godaime said, she _needed_ to take a small vacation. At first, Haruno Sakura refused but Tsunade swore to push her into a pool herself if she chose not to take the vacation offer.

And of course, with whom better to spend it with than her Team 7? Not the old Team 7 and not the new one either. They were combined. Sai and Sasuke were _both_ with her, Kakashi and Naruto. It was surely a miracle that Sasuke didn't accuse the artist-nin of impersonation since they looked a lot like each other. But ever since the young Uchiha had killed his older brother, he started to lighten up a bit but that didn't include being nice to the Jinchuuriki.

The road they walked turned from sand to a road paved with bright red bricks. The kunoichi continued to lead the way, knowing they were close to their destination-a small town called Kawa no Onsen Machi. And as usual, she wasn't able to concentrate because of the bickering.

"You dickless retard!" A loud voice spat. "I'm sure Sakura has better plans than posing nude for your art, bastard."

At the statement, she turned to see what the hell was going on. Sai immediately answered back. "Well, I'm sure she'll have time."

"No she won't, you under-developed human life form!"

She smacked the both of them behind their necks. Honestly, she was getting tired of their constant arguements over even the littlest of things. "Cut it out, both of you." She yelled. "Sai, I don't want to pose nude just so you could paint me... And Naruto, stop calling the perverted idiot names, okay?"

Kakashi walked closer to her with the Uchiha following him silently. "You know what you're doing is hopeless, right? Eventually, they'll begin yelling at each other like crazed morons again." Reminded Kakashi. He looked at the two who were currently rubbing the back of their necks and then looked back to Sakura. "Ah, if things are always going to be that way, maybe Naruto and Sai should stay in their hotel rooms while Sasuke, Sakura and I go to the springs together."

Sasuke looked from the corner of his eye at the idiots. He might get a chuckle out of this. And as if scheduled, Naruto ran to Sakura's side and put his arm around her. "Let's go!" He looked behind him. "You too, my idiotic _friend_."

"Naruto," Obviously, Sakura wasn't all too happy about what her former sensei had started. "You do know that the springs for male and female are separated, right? Stop wasting your breath."

She shuffled out of his grip and resumed their journey. As she walked, she was starting to think that taking the whole team with her wasn't a good idea. Maybe she should have just walked here alone. And what fun would that be?

She took a few more steps before she sighted the huge gate of the town. And the moments would have been peacefully perfect if it hadn't been for Naruto breaking the humid silence. "Where are we heading, anyway?"

"A town called Hot Springs of the River, Kawa no Onsen Machi." Slowly, she pulled out a piece of paper from the back pocket of her custom made black cargo shorts. She gave up wearing her cream apron a year ago. She also ditched the pink vest since it clashed too much with her hair color. From then on, she chose to wear anything, including orange, but pink or red. "Come on, I can see the gates. Tsunade said it's a perfect vacation spot and she went here all of the time back before we crushed her freedom and she chose to be Godaime." She excitedly exclaimed but then thought about what she just said. "I think she's still bitter about it."

Naruto ran up behind her and looked at the gates as well. They were nothing special but they surely were big. "The old woman decided that herself. To become the Godaime, I mean." He pulled out a hanky from his pocket and handed it to Sakura. "Feeling hot?" She accepted the hanky and gave him a faint nod. "Good, because you _are_."

She hit his gut with an elbow and ran to the gates excitedly.

They found a cheap but very decent hot spring in the middle of town. Sakura walked in a very foggy room in a small piece of cloth that she doubted was even a towel. Well, it was cheap so what did she expect something more. She guessed what had walked into was the spring.

She gracefully took off her towel and took a dip in the water. It took a little time to adjust to the temprature since it was a bit hotter than it was outside but she was able to relax.

Somehow, they didn't imagine it was going to be empty but it was so much better than having to find a good spot to relax. It was only the four of them in the male section of the spring and they all agreed before entering to not speak to each other while in the water.

Kakashi, as usual, didn't take his mask off which was unfair to the others. They were all skin and he still had a piece of cloth that hugged his face and neck like a second skin that he chose not to shed off.

The Copy Nin began reading his perverted novels while Sai brought his art materials with him. They didn't know it was allowed in the first place.

No sooner than expected, they heard several giggling from the other side of the wall that was right across them. "It's the ladies' section!" Naruto announced to his companions. "And I guess Sakura's in there too." As soon as what he had just said registered in his mind, he swam to the other side but Sasuke stopped him.

"Hold on, moron. Not that I care or anything, but remember the last time you peeked at her?" He reminded.

Oh yes, the perverted and noisy blond could remember seeing a beautiful and bare back of a pink haired kunoichi. Unfortunately, the next thing he saw was a fist flying to his face and when he had gained consciousness once more, it had been three days since.

"And even though Tsunade-sama ordered her to heal you, she didn't because she was so mad at you for becoming a peeping Tom like Jiraiya." Added the Copy Nin.

"At least I don't read his porn nov-"

Kakashi didn't let him continue what he was about to say. He didn't need to hear it from him, the apprentice of one of the most perverted nins in the world. "_Romance_ novels." He corrected. "_Limited _edition, too." He closed his books and showed one of the printed marks on the cover that said _limited_.

The blond gave him a look of indifference. "Riiiiight. How lucky of you." He said sounding uninterested.

They were all feeling relaxed by the time they got to the hotel and Sakura just wanted to go to her room and sleep for the remaining 2 days they had. This was the first time she got her own room whenever Team 7 was with her. Maybe because everyone else in her team were guys and she was the only girl. She was an excemption. For the first time, she wouldn't be waking up to the sight of Naruto changing his clothes, Kakashi reading his smut books or Sai's easle up in her face.

No. For the first time, she would be waking up with the rays of the sun coming in through the window just to wake her and greet her peacefully. But getting your own room comes with a price, literally. She had to pay for it on her own while the guys would share the expenses with their roomates.

While Kakashi made the negotiation with the receptionist, Sakura joined the conversation of her other three comrades. "How was it?" Sakura asked the noisy blond, crossing her slim arms across her chest. "Did you have fun? Have anything else planned? Walk around town? Go to the local pub? _Peeping in the ladies' hot spring, perhaps?_"

The last question was certainly not in the list of things Naruto wanted to hear from her. The younger of the two sharingan users approached them from behind and mocked the Jinchuuriki. "I told you."

"Didn't you learn from the last time, Naruto? Or maybe you just want another broken bone?" Naruto was about to answer but the way Sakura looked at him, for sure she wasn't going to listen to his reasons even if he told her she was _hot_. He'd be wasting his breath. "It's a good thing I have my own room now."

He chuckled. "Calm down, Sakura-chan!" It had been a long time since he used that prefix. He would only use it to appear adorable during drastic situations like this. "I'm just goofing around. It's not like I'm going to kiss you or anything. I wouldn't want to be your-" Before he could finish his announcement, the kunoichi stomped on his feet with the heel of her boots. How did their little chat end up in that topic anyway? In what way did it relate to their first subject? "Aaahhh~!" He yelled.

"I thought we talked about this?" She exclaimed with a worried look on her face. The artist and the avenger were now lost. They were locked out as Naruto and Sakura had their own conversation. "Don't blurt it out to the public..." She thought about what she said and added, "...Or to anyone else. Now shut your yap."

A gloved hand reached for the back of her black 3/4 shirt that didn't even reach the hem of her low-waist cargo shorts. The hem of her shirt rose higher until the top of her navel. The next thing she knew, her feet had somehow lost the floor. "Give it a rest, Sakura." The Copy Nin said as he set her down.

"I'm not 12 anymore, Kakashi." Grumbled the kunoichi.

The eldest nodded his head faintly. "I know. It's been 4 years since so stop acting like one." He opened up his palm and offered a choice of 3 room keys to her. "Pick whatever you like."

She went for the 14th room. It was the smallest number there was. "I'll be in my room." Sakura said as she walked away from her team.

She really made the most of it, not having any guy in the room at all. She brought a few books with her that she never seemed to have the time to read. And now, she was half-way done with all of them. It was already dark outside when she stepped out of room. Maybe she could see what was going on in the others' rooms for a moment. She kind of missed the ruckus they made.

She was about to knock on the door when the wall beside her teammate's room door had been crushed from the inside. Dust spread all around and the wall was in scattered pieces on the carpeted floor of the hotel. The pieces moved and a blond head emerged from underneath the wall's pieces.

"Sai, you bitch!" Naruto curled his hands into a fist and rushed back into the room. "I told you not to draw me while I'm sleeping! That's creepy!"

The blond's fist almost reached Sai's face if it hadn't been for Sakura pulling him to a retreat. "Naruto, what did I tell you before we all got to our rooms?"

Naruto put his fist down and mumbled. "Don't pick on Sai."

"Good." She pushed him aside making Naruto stumble backwards and onto the leather couch across the room. "And Sai, control yourself. Drawing girls while sleeping, it's pretty sweet. Drawing guys in their sleep..." She didn't know how to break it to him gently. "I'm sorry, but I have to take Naruto's side on this one. That can be considered as _creepy_."

"Well then, I guess you don't mind if I draw you while sleeping?"

"I'd be delighted but I just want a normal night tonight. No drawings, no jutsu and no ruckus. At all." She turned her back on them and exited the similar way she entered-using the door. "See you at dinner." With that, she shut the door behind her and walked back to her room.

She went back to her reading but after a few minutes passing, somebody knocked on her door. Without waiting for any answer, the visitor entered the room. A silver head poked his head inside the room first to look where she was and after seeing her casually sitting on her couch, Kakashi entered.

"Hey, Sakura. It's dark outside. Want to go to dinner now?" He closed the door gently behind him.

She put her book down beside her and rose. "Sure. Let me just go get ready and I'll be outside."

After that, Kakashi made a hasty exit and went back to their room to get ready as well. "And now I wonder where they were thinking about eating." She mumbled to herself. They don't know this town so how were they supposed to know where to eat?

She shook it off and made her way to the wooden cabinet where she placed her bag. Flipping the bag open, she searched for her perfume and a brush. Once she found both items, she closed her bag and entered the bathroom. It was the first time she'd use it today.

She clicked the switch beside the doorway and the small bulb inside the bathroom flickered and didn't seem to stop. Too bad for her. Maybe she'd use Kakashi's shower tomorrow morning. It's not like she was afraid of bathing in the dark or anything. But having the lights flickering while you took a bath would be a little frightening. She clicked the switch again to turn it off and went back in the room. There was a vanity on the other end of the room so maybe she would just use that.

After getting ready, she opened the wooden drawer and pushed both her comb and perfume inside, not taking her sight off of her reflection like it was going to run away. With one last comb of her hair with the use of her fingers, she exited her room.


	2. Someone Familiar

Sorry this chapter took so long but it's our vacation and I've been procrastinating a lot lately. I'm really sorry. I promise the next chapter will come soon. I'm really sorry, people!

* * *

Noise filled the atmosphere when they entered the bar downstairs. Earlier tonight, they asked the concierge about a decent restaurant and he suggested the bar at the basement of the hotel. The silver-haired man didn't really care, as long as he could read his book, it was fine.

"Are you sure we can eat here in peace? We did come here to relax." The artist protested.

The blond nudged him. "Put a sock in it, gay ass. I don't want to walk any further." He approached the only female in the team and put an arm around her. "Where do we sit?"

"Anywhere you guys like." She flatly answered. "So, where?"

Naruto scanned the room and found a table in the far end of the room. "There." He pointed and lead Team 7 to the table.

After ordering what they had to eat, they had small talk and as usual, Sasuke would seldom reply either with a nod or a 'hn'. Their meal immediately cam and they ate in peace excluding Naruto who still had a lot of stories from his training with Jiraiya.

Boy, how he missed the perverted old man. He missed Jiraiya's jokes, the way he would slip out of training just to peek at girls and write his novels... And most of all, he missed the Sannin's compassion. He missed his father-like figure. He missed the bond that they developed.

"Naruto." Sakura snapped in front of Naruto's face to snap him out of his daze. Naruto shook his head to shake the thoughts out and looked at her. "You've been out for a few minutes. Finish your food, it's getting cold."

It was the first time he'd noticed that he stopped blabbering about his sensei. Even Sakura noticed that he was still affected about the news of Jiraiya's death a few months ago. Sakura _knew_ he was still hurt and was amazed he managed to pull himself together in no time.

After the meal, they all stood up, ready to leave. Kakashi and Sai excused themselves to go to the men's room. Sakura excused herself as well to go to the ladies room. Sasuke and Naruto silently exited the bar and waited by the elevator.

"Sasuke, how do you like Sakura now? Is she badass or what?" That was the only thing Naruto could think about asking or saying in the moment, just to break the silence.

The Uchiha turned his head to look at him and just shrugged as a response.

"What was that? What kind of answer is-" He immitated the way Sasuke stood and shrugged. "What was that? Is that even considered an answer? Come on, I'm trying to make conversation here."

"She's okay..." He said. Of course, after leaving his Team, he realized he started to miss them, especially the red-head medic, Karin. "I've grown fond of Sakura but not in the way you think. I lived years away from you and socialized with other people. Don't you think it's an obvious answer that I'm still not interested?"

Naruto sighed. "It's okay. She's not interested in you either anymore." That unexpectedly surprised the raven-haired nin. But why? It doesn't matter anymore. He only wished to see Suigetsu and Karin and maybe visit Juugo's grave. He wished to bring what remained of his team to Konoha. "So why aren't you still interested? Don't you regret leaving her years ago? I mean, she really cared about you. I'm not saying that it's a good thing but you could've used her as a tool for revenge. You knew that. So I'm asking you now: _Why didn't you bring her along with you when you had the chance to use her?_"

He didn't want to answer the question but mostly because he didn't know the answer himself. However, looking back to that moment, he tried to remember why he hadn't brought the girl with him. She even offered to go with him but why didn't he bring her along? Even if she was weak back then, he could've found a way to use her.

"Answer me, Sasuke." Sasuke didn't answer him. He could only remain silent. Naruto was about to speak again when the door opened again and the rest of Team 7 exited the bar.

Kakashi looked over Naruto then to Sasuke. He could sense the intensity of the atmosphere just by looking at the Uchiha. "Everything alright here?"

"Sure. Meet you back in the room." He went ahead of the team in climbing the steps of the marble stairs.

Sakura looked at Naruto with narrowed eyes. "What did you do?" In response, Naruto shrugged. "Never mind. I probably don't wanna know, anyway."

* * *

Back in the room, Sakura had changed from her day clothes into her pajamas. Technically, they weren't pajamas although she did consider then sleeping clothes. It was a very loose blue t-shirt, one that would probably fit Kakashi perfectly, and she had white cycling shorts underneath. She wasn't really the type to go shopping for the perfect design of sleepwear. As long as she was comfortable, it was fine.

She turned out the lights and jumped on her bed as if she were a kid again, excited for bedtime as she lay on her stomach. She sighed and rolled on her back and stared at the emptiness of the dark. It was too dark perhaps... And too hot as well.

She stood up and carelessly made her way to the curtains. She pushed them aside and opened her window a little bit. If she pushed it all the way, it might get too cold during dusk. Unlike the way she walked through the room the first time, she easily found her way back to her bed. It wasn't long until she drifted into a peaceful sleep, many thanks to the relaxing softness of the matress.

* * *

She didn't know what it was but she was pretty sure she still shouldn't be up at that time. It was still as dark as it was before she fell asleep. The only source of light was the light of the moon coming from outside. Her body felt too heavy to get out of bed but somehow, there was someting strange that didn't let her drift back to her slumber soon.

There was this heavy aura in the room. If she didn't know any better, she'd assume the room was haunted. Fortunately, she became an apprentice to the Slug Princess and learned soon enough that heavy auras like this are never anything supernatural-it's just someone else with powerful and threatening chakra in the room.

She tried scanning her room for any sign of movement. However, due to the lack of light, she found it hard to confirm whether there was someone in there or it was just coming from outside or maybe she was imagining it.

No. She wasn't. If it wasn't in the room, it had to be less than a meter outside. _Thud_. The sound came from the window. The room fell dark and the moonlight illuminated the room again as if someone had passed through the window. She stood up and jogged her way and noted that the window was now pushed all the way through.

"What the-" Someone broke into her room. Whoever it was, it certainly wasn't a normal thief. It was a shinobi with chakra levels near hers... Or probably higher. Maybe Akatsuki level? No. She was crazy if she thought somebody from Akatsuki could break into her room and _not_ be stealthy. An Akatsuki wouldn't be _that_ stupid not to hide chakra of their level.

She shook the thoughts out of her mind and changed from her shorts to wear her capris pants. The cherry head went out of her room to visit the bar. She got in the bar, which apperently was open 24/7, and took a seat. She couldn't feel relaxed. Since she had woken up, she couldn't fall asleep anymore. Maybe some alcohol would help her.

"A glass, please." She said to the bartender. She planted her posterior on one of the stools set in front of the counter. The bartender had given her what she wants and she began taking it all in immediately. Someone sneaking into her bedroom. Really? On her vacation? _I guess shinobi life doesn't get any vacations_, she thought.

Some techno music was playing real loud that she even wondered how the customers could sleep upstairs. Although, she couldn't help but tap her feet to the beat as she looked around the bar, observing other people living their normal lives. Surprising, really, how a lot of people could fit into such a small room. The bar was fully packed. If anyone were to faint, they wouldn't be able to fall to the ground.

Couples, younger than her, danced provocatively-very much inappropriate. None of her friends danced like that back then until now! Well, except Ino. She was pretty daring to do that. Others danced while holding their half-filled glasses in the air and dancing wildly. These youngsters were out of control. She wondered how they could live like this. She thought that if they were to undergo the same training she and her friends went through, maybe they would be disciplined.

She took another look around and noticed someone familiar. Someone with long blonde hair standing by the doorway, looking at her with those striking blue eyes. She could've sworn she'd seen them before. If only she could take a good look at that person again... But there were too much people walking in the way, dancing in the way. If only she could-

"Sakura." A husky voice said from her side. Startled, she turned her head and was surprised to see her silver-head friend beside her.

"Kakashi.." She held her chest as if she were to have a heart attack. "You scared me."

"Everything okay, Sakura?" He asked, taking a sip from his cup. "I saw you go downstairs when I was in the lobby. Couldn't you get any sleep?"

She shook her head. Should she tell him about the break in? It was a pretty intense aura. "Something like that. Everything's fine. I just woke up and couldn't go back to sleep anymore." Explained the Chuunin. "I was hoping some alcohol would make my eyes a little heavy."

"Are you sure? No problems? No nightmares? No one breaking in your room?" He asked with a raised eyebrow.

Somehow, she knew he knew about it. "How did you-" But then again, if she asked how he found out, he wouldn't give her a decent answer. "Oh, never mind. Yeah, someone broke in. How did you know?"

"I have a dog's nose." His index finger landed on the tip of his nose. "Keep that in mind. I sniffed something strong while I was in our room and it definitely wasn't Naruto and his gas."

All she could do was laugh as she thought of a reply. What should he tell him? It shouldn't be considered as a threat though. Whoever broke into her room was careless to forget about concealing his chakra presence and she was sure she could take on whoever that was.

"It's probably nothing." Sighed the kunoichi. "I won't let some careless robber ruin my vacation." She finished her cup of sake and asked the bartender for another one but Kakashi cancelled her order. "Wha- But why?"

"Come on, Sakura. We still have 2 days more in this town. You can drink tomorrow night." He gestured to the bartender to take his former student's cup. "We'll go take a walk around town tomorrow so there's no time for drinking."

Sakura could only groan. She really wanted to get some sleep but Kakashi having her stop drinking wasn't going to help. "How the hell am I supposed to get some rest? I'd tire myself out if I could." A light bulb appeared above her head. "Hey, Kakashi-senpai... How 'bout a sparring session back in the woods?"

"We're on _vacation_, Sakura." Kakashi reminded her. "The reason Tsunade-sama forced you to go on vacation is because you work too hard."

Sakura cleverly came up with a comeback in a flash. "How is this supposed to be a vacation if I don't get a decent night's sleep, huh Kakashi?" She stood up and pulled Kakashi by the wrist. He was forced to let go of his own cup.

"Hold on, Sakura." He pulled away from her and pulled out his wallet and gave the bartender his tip. "Thanks for the drink, boy." The young bartender smiled at him.

The moon was full and it was probably somewhere around 2 in the morning but the two haven't stopped training for about an hour and a half. "Aren't you tired yet, Sakura?" Kakashi yelled out in the woods since he couldn't sense Sakura's presence anywhere.

No one answered.

But someone did move from the bushes behind him. "You're too careless, Sakura." He mocked and rushed to the plant behind him. He caught a glimpse of her pink hair but something didn't feel right once he had closed in. The chakra presence was too weak. _A clone?_ he thought. He leaped onto a branch and hit the clone with a kunai. _Where is she?_

He didn't notice it but the chakra on his feet began weakening the branch beneath him. He fell on a bush ever so sudden. He stood up and to his surprise, he found Sakura dozing off in the middle of the woods.

"Sakura..." He scratched the back of his head and carried her back to the motel piggyback style. "How long have you been sleeping there... And more importantly, how long did you have me look like an idiot, fighting and talking to no one?" He chuckled. She fell unconscious in the middle of their sparring. Now that's something you don't experience everyday.

* * *

By the time Sakura woke up, it was already 30 minutes before noon. Sai was in her room, organizing his drawing tools.

"Sai?" She rubbed her eyes. "What time is it?"

Sai looked at her and smiled. "Oh, good. You're awake. It's almost lunch time. Kakashi and Sasuke are out to get some food. Naruto's on the rooftop. We're going to eat at your room today."

_Splendid. Nothing like a meal in my room with the rowdiest guys. Fun_, she sarcastically thought. "I suggest we just eat in Kakashi's room. That okay?" Sai didn't argue anymore. He just nodded at her suggestion.


	3. Sneaky Ghosts

I'm really enjoying making new chapters again! I should have done this since the first day of vacation. Alright! So here's the big revelation! Who's been sneaking into Sakura's room? Read on!

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto. Neither do I own the characters. A genius called Masashi Kishimoto owns them!

* * *

Sometime after they all had their lunch, Team 7 walked around the town to look for something-anything interesting. Sai asked to be left behind at an art shop while the Copy Nin and Sakura browsed the bookshop beside it. Where Sasuke and Naruto waited, Sakura didn't care. She was surrounded by books.

"Sakura, are you done yet? I'm going now because I think Naruto's doing something to get on Sasuke's nerves." Kakashi asked from the end of the aisle.

She looked at him and shook her head. "No. You go on ahead. I'm still looking for something I might like. I won't go home without buying a new book." The Copy Nin shrugged and went on ahead of her. The small bell above the door rang as he closed the door.

A few minutes later, the bell rang again but Sakura didn't turn to see who it was. She was too busy looking at a medical book. Sadly, she realized that she already knew 2/3 of the book and it would be a waste to buy it just for the sake of the rest. And so, she put the book back on the shelf. She pulled another book and was surprised to see a pair of very striking blue eyes on the other side of the shelf. The blond hair really reminded her of someone.

She needed another minute to look at him so she could recall. But to her surprise, the person on the other aisle shoved a book in the hole to prevent her from noticing. Sakura ran to the end of the aisle but as soon as she made a turn for the next aisle, all she saw was his back running to the store's door. Sakura chased after him.

_A shinobi? Somehow, he seems really familiar... Could it be..?_ Thoughts were all jumbled in her head. No. It couldn't be him. He was _dead_. Sasuke had killed him... Didn't he? And even if it _was_ him, how come he felt different from the first time she had seen him? He seemed... Normal.

The kunoichi continued chasing after the mystery person. She knew she had passed by her teammates who were sitting on a bench on one side of the street.

"Where is she going?" Naruto asked.

Sakura ran and ran. The blond made a turn at one of the dark alleys. By that time, Sakura had second thoughts whether she should chase him or not. It could lead to a trap. She stopped for a moment.

She heard her team chasing after her. "Sakuraaa~"

"Naruto?" She turned around. Naruto and Kakashi were running toward her.

"What happened? Why were you running? Did you see someone?" Sakura didn't know what to answer first. If it were Kakashi who was asking the questions, she would have answered. But if it was Naruto... Well, she didn't want him to get worried. He doesn't even know what happened last night in her room.

She was hesitant to answer. "Naruto, you go back to Sai and Sasuke. I'll take care of Sakura."

Although Naruto didn't like it, he had to admit, Sakura and Kakashi had been close ever since they became Jounins. And he knew Sakura would only open up to Kakashi.

* * *

"That was a close one, blondie." A deep and monstrous voice said. "Did you get your necklace yet?"

The blonde shook his head at the shark's question. "Looks like drastic times call for drastic measures."He chuckled. "Thanks for helping me out, by the way, Kisame."

The shark grinned, his fangs showing on both sides of his smile. "No prob, Deidara. I still can't believe you walked to the nearest village after the blast. And I still can't believe Sasuke didn't die after that."

"Me neither." Deidara shook his head. "We better hurry. Pein might get suspicious if you're not back in a week."

Kisame peaked at Sakura and the Copy Nin. "Yeah. We better... Because it looks like little Ms. Cherry's getting all suspicious about this. You shouldn't have broken into her room last night, you know."

"It's not my fault she chose the room we stayed in last month. And to think my necklace is still there. Don't those people ever clean their rooms?" Deidara mumbled.

"Sure, it's not your fault she chose that room. But it sure is _your_ fault you left your necklace in that fucking vanity." The blue-skinned man chuckled. "You sure are lucky it was Haruno who chose your room and not Copy Nin or the Kyuubi."

"Not lucky enough." He snapped. "To think I was about to enter the room by the window when _she_ entered..."

* * *

**_Yesterday..._**

_"Oi, Deidara." Kisame whispered. He and the blonde were by-standing in the dark alley beside the hotel Team 7 had entered several minutes ago. "Are you sure? Team 7's in that hotel. If you were to break into any room, surely they'd find out."_

_"No, they won't." Deidara denied. He never got why Kisame was so negative when it came to these kind of things. "Let me finish up my food and then I'll go back to our room, get my necklace and leave town. And you can finally go back to Akatsuki and I can go back to living on my own in the woods."_

_Kisame shook his head. "You may have lasted half a year there but are you sure you'll last the other half?" He took a bite out of the last piece of dumpling on his stick. "Besides, I'm kinda enjoying my time away from Akatsuki. It's kind of quiet."_

_"Yeah but it won't be if you don't get your ass back to HQ in a few days. Pein might send someone to look for you." He finished the last of his sushi and threw the box away. "Wait here. I'll go inside."_

_"Inside?" Kisame snickered. "You're a S-Class Criminal who's been reported dead. Don't you think your appearance could cause a commotion?"_

_"I never said I was going through the lobby." He pointed to one of the windows on the building. "Ever heard of these glassed babies?"_

_The shark-nin shrugged. "Whatever. Just hurry it up. The sun's going down in a few hours and we need to make it to the next town before nightfall."_

_Deidara waved and began climbing the side of the building using chakra on his feet to stick himself on the wall. Luckily, he had found their previous room in no time. He slid the window up with no difficulty at all. However, before he could step foot in the dark room, he heard a key slip into the door's keyhole. He hurriedly stuck his foot outside and shut the window._

_He was under pressure. His feet were pressed on the wall with his hands to support his weight as well. About to descend, he was stopped by a familiar feeling... What was that feeling just now? He sensed chakra coming from the room. He peaked from the corner of the window and luckily, the person who had entered the room had her back on him. Wait a minute... He knew that hair. How could he ever forget it? Slowly, he climbed back down and landed next to his new friend. "No luck."_

_"Windows shut?"_

_"Are you kidding? Opening the window was easy. Hiding from the apprentice of Leaf's Godaime was hard." He panted._

_Kisame almost burst out laughing at what he had just stated to him. What a coincidence too! "No way. You don't mean..." He couldn't believe it but seeing Deidara's serious expression, it had to be true. "What are the odds that Haruno Sakura would be the one sleeping in our room?" Kisame couldn't help but laugh at the thought. "How about we try again tonight? You wait buy us something from the bar and I'll sneak into her room."_

_"But-" Deidara saw Kisame's expression that said he wouldn't listen to him anymore. "Fine. Give me the money and I'll buy us some booze."_

_"I'm the one doing the hard part and yet I'm giving away the money?" The younger of the two raised an eyebrow and reached out his palm. "Fine." He pulled out his wallet and gave it to the former Akatsuki member. "Looks like Akatsuki's gonna have to wait for another while."_

_"And we wouldn't have this problem if you didn't forget to conceal your chakra presence when you were in here room last night!" Deidara snapped at him. He then sighed and sat on one of the discarded boxes in the alley. "There's no other method I can think of. You have to do it."_

_Kisame's eyes widened like plates. "No way! I;m not doing it just so you can get that crappy necklace back!"_

_Deidara glared at him. Kisame knew how much that necklace meant to the blonde but no way was he going to do what he wanted him to do. It was all too much and all for just a necklace? "You don't understand, Kisame... It's just... I really need that necklace back."_

_"Fine. You're already dead to the people anyway so I'm probably doing this for a ghost." He grabbed Samehada who was lying against the mossy wall of the alley. "How did the plan go again?"_

* * *

Back in Sakura's room, she and Kakashi were sitting on the floor, talking about what had happened earlier after Kakashi left the bookshop.

"I swear it looked like him..." She said for the 19th time. "It was Deidara, I swear. I could see it in his eyes from the last time we saw him. It was totally him."

Kakashi let his hand land on her shoulder. "It must be someone else, Sakura. Sasuke had killed the guy."

"I know but-" Sakura was too confused. She could've sworn it was Deidara. But when Kakashi says he's dead... It made her believe that he really was. By that time, she already felt something hit her like a hammer. "Owww..." She rubbed both her temples.

"Probably a headache from this morning. You know, sake then training. You better rest. I'll have the others get us something to eat for dinner." He helped her get up and lie on the bed.

He left her room to tell the others to get some food.

Sai was in the middle of an abstract masterpiece while Naruto was dozing off on the couch when Kakashi had entered their room. "Naruto, get up." No response. Not even a flinch. "Sai, would you kindly-" Before he could even finish his request, Sai was already on his feet, standing beside the couch. Effortlessly, he pulled Naruto's jacket and brought him to the floor, his head landing first.

"My parachuuuuuute!" Naruto suddenly shouted, not knowing he was already awake when he had yelled.

"Thank you, Sai. Now, You two go out and get us some food. Sakura has a headache and she's in her room trying to sleep."

Sai cleaned up his art materials. "Why just the 2 of us?" He asked the silver-haired man. "Why not come with us?"

"I have some things to ask Sasuke." _Specifically, about Deidara's death._ "So be back before sundown, okay? It's kind of dangerous around here."

* * *

"What do you think Kakashi wanted to talk to Sasuke about?" Naruto asked the artist but he only shrugged in response. "What kind of an answer is that?"

"It's probably something we shouldn't know about that's why he sent us." Sai finally answered. "How's pork chop for dinner sound to you?"

Suddenly, out of nowhere, a wide man in a black cloak with red clouds appeared. He was wielding a giant sword wrapped around in a bandage. "Kisame..?" Naruto snarled. "Sai, warn Kakashi about this. I'm going to face him off."

"I don't need to leave just to tell Kakashi about this." He pulled out a paint brush and a scroll and began writing in ancient letterings that only a true Jounin could decode. "Go, my friend." The letters merged and formed an image of a mouse. The small creature jumped out of its scroll and ran to the direction of the motel.

"What do you need, Kisame? Are you here for me again?" Naruto shouted.

The shark-nin grinned. "No. I'm merely here on vacation just like you. In fact, I've been here longer than you have been. Aren't you surprised I haven't been causing trouble around town?"

"What are we supposed to do? Jump for joy? We have an S-Class criminal right under our nose all this time." The Kyuubi's chakra started to leak out of him.

Kisame grinned although he had to admit, this might get too rough. There was a huge possibility he'd fight all out... Just so he could be the distraction and so that Deidara could finally sneak into the room and get his necklace back. He was truly doing the harder part of the job.

"Oh? What's this? Can't keep the Kyuubi chakra in?" Kisame teased. Although he knew it was going to be of no help to him, he still had to do it. It was part of his character and they could sense something wrong if he didn't taunt. "Looks like Samehada's going to have a full meal."

* * *

The mouse reached Kakashi in no time. As soon as Kakashi got the message, he called for Sasuke and they sprung into action. Kakashi was thinking about waking up Sakura but she wouldn't be able to fight properly with that headache. "Let's go, Sasuke. Let's just leave Sakura. Kisame might not even know she's here so she's safe here."


	4. Abduction

Damn Kakashi for leaving her room with the lights out and the curtains closed. When she had opened her eyes, it was dark as pitch black in her room. Damn the housekeeping people for putting up such thick curtains. However, she just shook it off because her migraine was taking over.

Minutes later, someone had entered her room. Stealthily, the stranger made his way into the the motel from her window. He didn't feel anyone around so he proceeded, thinking that the room was empty. It would probably be a good idea to turn on the lights since searching in the dark would be impossible. But it didn't turn out to be such a great idea.

He flipped the switch and to his surprise, on the bed lay a fair-skinned, pink-haired kunoichi. "Haruno..."

The light woke the delicate sleeper. She propped herself on her elbows and rubbed her eyes. She could feel someone was there but it didn't feel like it was anyone who could do her any harm... Although she did feel the heavy flow of chakra around the intruder's body. "Kakashi..?" She asked, not sure if it really was him. Her eyes, although still blurry, were able to identify the pale locks of the other person. "Dei-"

Before she had the chance to finish her guess, he had disappeared and reappeared beside her. "I'm sorry." He whispered into her ear. Those were the last two words Sakura had heard before Deidara had put a sleeping jutsu he had learned during his free time on her.

This was bad. Even if he were to leave her like that, if ever she woke up and told her team about his existence, surely, he would be hunted down like a common animal once again. He didn't want that. He just wanted to live a normal life now. This was another chance for him. He had no other choice. He had to bring her with him.

He rushed to the vanity and pulled the drawer. Adrenaline rush took over him as his hands shuffled carelessly in the drawer. Finally, he found what he was looking for... His necklace. He put it in his pocket and went back to carry Sakura. With a hand seal and a poof of smoke, they were gone.

* * *

Samehada already absorbed about 1/3 of Sai's chakra since he volunteered to fight against the shark swordsman. "Aren't you tired yet?" Kisame asked. "I've already taken 1/3 of your chakra supply and you've been using ninjutsu a thousand times already." He snarled. He was already getting impatient. "Come on, just faint already. I'm ready for the next opponent."

The truth is, Kisame didn't want to go all out on them. He was just a mere distraction in the first place. Where was Deidara, anyway? He should have been done by now.

No sooner, a bird, specifically a dove, flew around the battlefield and after a few rounds, finally landed on Kisame's shoulder. It had a small piece of paper tied on one leg. He took it out and read it in his mind. His eyes were twice its normal size when he had absorbed the message. "Looks like I have to go now. Too bad I never got the chance to beat the others up. I'll see you next time, Leaf Shinobi." He carried Samehada on his back as he walked away from them. "And by the way," Kisame said, turning his head slightly, "Nice job killing Deidara and my partner, Uchiha. _Great_ job on the two." Only he understood the sarcasm of what he had just said. Only he knew of Deidara's existence, anyway.

As soon as Kisame was out of earshot, Naruto turned to Kakashi, his eyebrows approaching each other. "Are you sure it's okay to let him off the hook like this, Kakashi?" He said with gritted teeth. "What was he doing here? And all alone, for crying out loud!"

"It was only coincidence, Naruto. Keep that in mind. He didn't know we were coming here in the first place." Kakashi explained to him. "Let's just get back to the motel and relax. Maybe an hour in the springs will do you some good."

And with that, Kakashi turned to the direction of their motel. Naruto helped Sai walk to the motel and as usual, Sasuke was right behind them, minding his own business.

* * *

Kisame read the note over and over again. He couldn't believe Deidara did something like that... And all to keep his existence hidden!

_I've got thhe necklace... And Haruno Sakura as well. I know it will look bad but if I didn't do anything, Konoha would find out about me before sun down. Just meet me at the woods right outside of town._

He had kidnapped the Godaime's precious apprentice! Was he thinking right before he had done it in the first place? If Konoha found out about her mysterious disappearance, Tsunade would surely send out an army of shinobi and have them turn over every single stone just to look for Haruno Sakura. And when they find her in his clutches, he would be dead... Again.

"Damn the idiotic bitch." He mumbled to himself. "He doesn't have a clue on what kind of trouble he's gotten himself into..." As soon as he had exited town, he ran to the woods were he caught a sight of a small white bird which didn't look anything like a pigeon. It looked more like a small sculpture. He followed it, leading him to Deidara and an unconscious Sakura. "You are a dumbass, you know that?"

"You know why I had to do it, Kisame." He stated, not taking his eyes off of the kunoichi. "This is the only way. I can't afford being found out again." He stood up and formed a hand-seal, forming a giant white bird beside him. He continued voicing his thoughts. "If I just asked for a minute to explain earlier, I would be beaten to death. At least this way, I can tie her down and have her listen to what I have to say because no doubt, if she realized I was alive, she would run to her team and tell them everything... Or maybe she would have ran to Konoha at once."

The shark-nin couldn't think of anything to say. He was right. He wanted to live normally now and he wouldn't be granted that anyone if the kunoichi wasn't abducted. "Fine. But I'll leave this problem to you, 'kay?" Deidara nodded once. "I have nothing to do with Haruno Sakura anymore. When Konoha tracks down the kidnapper, you're the only one they're looking for, not me."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Deidara said, shrugging it off. He formed a hand seal and a giant white bird appeared in front of them. "Let's go."

Kisame didn't know how this was going to work with that giant bird. "How's a giant bird flying around in the free sky supposed to be stealthy. By flying on that thing, it's like you're announcing to the damned country you're still alive." Kisame reminded.

Deidara approached the unconscious medic and put one of her arms around his neck. "If we fly high enough, they'll think it's a normal bird. I've done this a few times without you. People won't even notice my chakra anymore since I'm too high... And besides, my chakra presence isn't as strong as it used to be." He guided the sleeping kunoichi to lie on the bird. "And if you're worried about those Leaf Ninjas in town, they're probably inside the building trying to figure out where Sakura is. No one won't notice us taking off."

Kisame got on the bird as well. Without a minute to spare, the creature took off.

* * *

It was already sunset and they were still a few miles away from Deidara's new home-it was right outside the Village of Rain. Kisame was standing at the far back side of the bird while Deidara sat behind the unconscious Sakura. They were above the middle of a lake when Kisame had spoken again. "Say, do you think we'll get there before nightfall?" Deidara didn't respond. "Can't this thing go any faster?" Still no response. "Oi, Deidara!"

Finally, Deidara acknowledged him. He slightly turned his head. "No, this thing is at its maximum speed already." He snapped.

"Wow," the shark-nin chuckled. "Someone's a bit moody. Or maybe you're just tired or hungry. Maybe I'll bring you some food from the Village of Rain. Besides, what do you plan on doing when she wakes up?"

"Tell her the truth why I did what I had to do." The blond answered. "I'll tell her that I didn't deserve the life I had before. I'll tell her how everything happened. I'll explain every detail if I have to."

Kisame grinned. "Like she'll believe a sappy story like that coming from someone like you-an S-Class Criminal who's supposedly reported dead." Deidara was already pressured. That was the main reason he was quiet the whole trip. He had been thinking about what to say to her. But Kisame had a point. Would she really believe a tale like that? "Once you've finished explaining, she'd still probably beat the shit out of you."

"Oh yeah? You have any better ideas?" He snapped. "I still haven't decided on what to do yet. Just give me some space. I've been thinking all the way here."

His new friend wasn't surprised. It's been a long time since Deidara had done something like this. In fact, since he had his second chance, he never did anything like this... Until now.

* * *

"I'll be on my way. I'll be back by 10 with your food." Kisame said as he got off the giant bird. "If I'm lucky and get to sneak out of HQ, I'll be here by 9, got it?" Deidara nodded. "Take care. And be careful with the little blossom. She's a fighter."

The blonde smirked. "I realized that before I _died_."

Kisame walked into the woods and toward the direction of the Hidden Rain Village. Deidara carried Sakura off of his creation and into his house-which was also one of his creation. His new home was made entirely of clay. It took him about two and a half months to finish it. He carried her bridal style into one of the spare rooms he had in case Kisame wanted to sleep in his house for the night. Unfortunately, Kisame had been _too busy_ to stop by for the night. Deidara guessed the shark was afraid of the blood-sucking bugs which occassionally entered his house.

He had laid her on the bed and put a jutsu on the room so that if ever she wakes up and figures things out, she wouldn't break out so easily. After that, he stepped outside and sat on one of the fallen trees lying beside his house. When Kisame would stop by and deliver his food, the shark would usually sit there and wait for him to go outside.

It was already 8 pm. He decided to rehearse what he had to say. "Look, Sakura. There's a reason why you're here and I need you to listen to me. Just give me a few minutes to explain why you're here and not with your team..." He made a face when he had heard what he had to say. Kisame was right. It really _was_ sappy.

He had spent another half hour thinking of what he had to say. However, he couldn't find a non-sappy way to tell her the truth. How was this to work out? He needed to come up with something and _fast_. Sakura could wake up any minute and he still wasn't organized.

"What am I supposed to do..?" Deidara thought out loud. No sooner, he heard a thud coming from the room he had confined Sakura in. He figured she was already trying to break out. He wasted no time and rushed back in the house. He immediately opened the door and the sight of a very confused Sakura greeted him. Her expression was a mixture of rage and fright when she saw him open the door.

Her eyes softened a little but still, they exposed the fear that was within her. "Dei... Deidara?" He didn't speak. His hand remained connected to the knob of the door and he just looked at her. "Is it really you?" Still, no response. He was just looking at her, examining her face full of questions. "Why are you still alive? Sasuke killed you almost a year ago!" He opened his mouth, ready to explain but Sakura cut him off. "You lied... You tricked Sasuke! Konoha! What is Akatsuki planning now? Why am I here? What do you want with me?"

This time, it was Deidara's turn to cut her off. "I just _need_ you to listen to me." Sakura fell silent when he had snapped at her. He continued to explain. "Look, if I simply asked you to listen back at the motel, you wouldn't even give me one second to explain and beat me to death." She avoided eye contact with him, knowing it was true. "I just need your time, okay?"

"Fine." She briefly answered back as she rolled her eyes. "But you have to answer every question I give you afterwards."

He nodded. "Deal." He gestured her to sit on the bed as he closed the door behind him. "First thing's first, you can't tell anyone I'm alive. It happened while I was lying in the middle our battlefield. Sasuke had already gone by then and he didn't know I was just temporarily out of pulse. Miraculously, my pulse came back and I had enough energy to drag myself to the nearest town. Look, I'm trying to lay low now. I'm trying to live the life I really wanted. And I can't do that if you don't listen to me because if you don't you're probably off to Konoha to tell them I'm not yet dead. I just want another chance to live. I just want to live as myself and not be some notorious S-Class Criminal. I'm begging you to keep it between us. Please?"

His eyes were pleading as if his life was on the line and Sakura almost bought it. _Almost_. "What a sad story.." She smirked. "What kind of fool do you take me for? Do you honestly think I'd believe such a crappy lie?"

Deidara couldn't find any words to say. He had poured his heart out to her and she still thought she was lying. Funny, really. He chuckled. "You're right." He laughed maniacally. "What was I thinking? Here's the truth." He breathed in deep. "The truth is..." This was it. "Akatsuki's planning something to capture the Kyuubi and you're a part of it." _Wrong words, bastard_! He honestly didn't know what he was doing but his mouth continued to spit out lies. "I can't tell you where we are and it's very important you don't tell anyone, including Akatsuki, about my existence. Only Kisame, Pein and you know I'm still alive."

"You're..." Sakura couldn't believe it. It was a trap for Naruto but why was she part of it? "You're despicable. You're a monster."

Obviously, telling that kind of lie was a big mistake to Deidara. The reason why he wanted to live another life was to avoid being called a _criminal_, a_ monster_ and a _villain_. He just wanted to be Deidara. He just wanted his old life back. "I know!" He chuckled although inside, it hurt him to say that. "Get some sleep. Food will be coming here at 10."

"You know I'm going to get out of here, right?" She snapped. "RIGHT?"

He opened the door and but explained to her how it was going to work before he left the room. "You can't, Little Tsunade. This room is protected by my special jutsu and it's made entirely from my clay. My house, my law. Unless I want to, you can't get out. If you need to piss, there's a bathroom door right there." He pointed to one side of the room. "Enjoy. Your. Stay!" He said coldly as he shut the door on his way out.

"NO! Let me out of here!" She kicked and punched and tackled the door made of clay but it was of no use. She couldn't break out no matter how hard she tried. She couldn't believe this was happening to her. What a vacation, indeed.


	5. Trust to Gain Trust

Was this a bit late? Sorry. I've been attending review sessions for college entrance exams lately. Anyway, hope you enjoy the story! Characters are not mine. Naruto is not mine. They all belong to Masashi Kishimoto.

* * *

The moon was already up but still no sign of Deidara coming back up to the room. It was the first time she had noticed that there were no windows in her room. She wouldn't be able to see where she was. She wouldn't be able to send out a call for help. What was worse was that she couldn't use her taijutsus and ninjutsus because the clay just absorbs the chakra she releases to execute a jutsu.

All she could do was wait for a chance to get out. She sat on the edge of the soft bed. Although the whole house was made of clay, the furniture looked old and worn out as if they belonged to other people before. She guessed she only got them from his fellow Akatsuki members. It was lumpy but still, it was a decent bed to sleep in although she doubted she'd be getting any sleep tonight. She was under the same roof as an S-Class criminal.

Several more minutes passed before she heard a knock at the door. Without her consesnt, Deidara entered with a small paper bag in his hand. "One serving of dumplings for Haruno Sakura." He threw it to her but she refused to catch it therefore landing on the mattress beside her. "Eat. I need you to do something for me tomorrow. If you can do it, I can probably reconsider something..."

Sakura attempted to tackle him without thinking. Her hands formed shakey fists which aimed for his face. However, Deidara caught her wrist just in time, her fist an inch away from his fair and young skin. He tossed her back and she landed on the floor on her bum.

"Get out." She snarled as she got up to her feet.

Deidara's lips tugged to the side. "My house, my rules-remember?" Sakura ground her teeth together. Seriously, Deidara was getting on her nerves. "Now, eat and get some rest. You've got work to do tomorrow and you'll be needing a lot of effort on it." With those words, he slammed the door again on his way out. Sakura remained still for a few seconds, realizing something very important. She should have noticed it earlier... In fact, it had to be the first thing she had to take notice. But she was too shocked to see him _alive_ to even notice that he wasn't wearing the Akatsuki cloak... And his ring.

She made her way back to the edge of the bed and sat down. "Deidara..." She said, unconsciously reaching for the small brown bag that Deidara tossed earlier. "Idiot... What's he planning?" As her hand landed on the bag, she felt it was damp. It was different from his touch. His hands were dry when he had stopped her attack. Actually, it didn't just feel damp, it felt wet. And there was only one other criminal who came into mind when she thought about waters... Kisame. Could it be that Kisame had been helping Deidara? What was Deidara's intention, anyway?

It was all too much to accept. There were to many events that happened too soon but cannot be accepted right away. The first thing she had to do was actually _believe_ Deidara was alive or else she wouldn't be able to absorb or analyze the other pieces of information.

She began eating the meal Deidara had delivered her and tried to calm her mind down a bit. She was too hot-headed. Her temper was too short. She was confused easily. She needed to settle down for a moment or else she wouldn't be able to figure anything out... And the first thing she needs to know right now is where she is.

After the small meal, she lay on the bed for a few minutes, not noticing how heavy her eyes were getting by the minute until she drifted to sleep.

* * *

Deidara was in the kitchen with Kisame, having a midnight snack. "You told her what?" Kisame shouted, almost choking on his fish chips. "Deidara, I thought I told you I had nothing to do with this anymore? Sakura is _your_ problem already! You blame Akatsuki, you also blame me!"

"You're the one who fucking told me she wouldn't believe a sappy story!" Deidara yelled back. "Well, guess what! You're right! So I thought quickly of another excuse."

"Kid, there are a lot more you need to know. You're a very bad story-maker, you know that?" The older of the two chuckled. "I thought you might have learned something from your Akatsuki years."

The blond looked at Kisame blankly as he sipped on his cup of sake. "In case you haven't noticed, Akatsuki's Deidara died during his fight with Sasuke. I'm a different person now." Both of them fell silent and only the ticking of the clock broke the silence. That was until Deidara spoke again. "Look, I just need her to do some things for me. Heal some wounds, such and such so I wouldn't have such a hard time moving around. You've never seen me bend over for a book that feel out of the book case, did you?"

The shark-nin laughed hysterically. "Well, yeah. That's because you don't have a book case, fool!"

The explosions pioneer rolled his eyes. "You talk too much. After you finish, clean up and get back to Hidden Rain. I'm going to bed already." He said dully followed by a yawn. "G'night shark-breath." He waved as he exited the kitchen.

"G'night, kid." Kisame was left alone in the kitchen while Deidara climbed to the second floor and made his way to the master's bedroom. There, he sat on the edge of his bed for several minutes, trying to find peace in his mind so he can finally turn in for the night.

Why did he tell her that? Why didn't he just convince her... Well, obviously because Sakura already looked pissed when she heard the story. If he pushed it into her, she might end up losing her temper. "So this is how it is..." He thought out loud. Maybe he shouldn't have been so hard on her. Locking her up in that chakra-absorbing room was a bit brutal. If she tried to break out all night, she may not have anymore chakra left to help him tomorrow.

* * *

What remained of Team 7 wasted no time packing up and rushing back to Konoha to report Sakura's mysterious disappearance. On the way, Kakashi tried to figure out what could have happened to Sakura. He shouldn't have left her alone. He should have let Sasuke stay to guard her. He should've been more cautious. Just because they were on vacation didn't mean nothing bad could happen to them. He clicked his tongue as his thoughts continued.

Sasuke heard him since he was just behind his former sensei. "It's not your fault, Kakashi. Right now, all you have to think about is reporting to Tsunade what happened to her apprentice. Surely, you should be more worried about that." Such comforting words coming from the cold-hearted Uchiha... Or maybe not-so-cold-hearted any longer.

"She once implied that she saw Deidara." Sasuke's eyes snapped at the question, wondering how it was possible. "So I'll ask you, Sasuke. Are you sure Deidara is dead?"

Sasuke didn't think twice about his answer. "He's dead. I left him without pulse. He was as good as dead." He said with clenched teeth. Kakashi nodded once at his answer.

All 4 of them arrived at the gates of Konoha. Kotetsu greeted them but they didn't have time to greet back. No second was to be wasted. Their precious teammate was missing and they needed to report this immediately to her shishou.

As soon as they entered the Godaime's office, Naruto yelled out, "Sakura was kidnapped!" That was when he had realized that Tsunade wasn't in her office. Instead, Shikamaru and Neji were in there waiting for the Godaime. Naruto growled. Where was the Godaime?

Neji and Shikamaru's eyes widened after they asked an explanation from them. "Sakura disappeared while you were in a battle with Kisame?" Kakashi calmly nodded at Shikamaru's conclusion. "Who could have-" He had just noticed then that the Godaime was standing right behind Sai and the others and she heard everything.

Her eyes were teary and her lips formed a pout. She was about to cry her whole heart out. Although she knew that Sakura was strong enough to fight anyone, she was still worried. She had formed a bond with Sakura... It felt as if the cherry blossom was her own daughter. A few seconds passed before her eyebrows approached each other and her teeth clenched. "Gather 4 ANBU squads here, double time!" She made her way across the room to sit on her desk. "What happened to Sakura again?" She pulled her drawer and revealed a scroll and a pen.

* * *

It was probably some time around 1 a.m. but still, Sakura couldn't get any sleep. Why? Who would get any sleep when of the most notorious Akatsuki members could probably be sleeping in the next room? She was facing the opposite direction of the door. She refused to see Deidara.

She was all curled up in the middle of the bed. Even though there wasn't any windows or vents for ventilation, she felt chilly. Maybe it was because of the lack of comfort. Without Team 7, she was lost, alone and cold. She couldn't remember the last time she felt like this. 2 years? 3 years ago?

The door opened up but unlike the last time, this time, it opened gently as if the person entering was trying _not_ to wake anyone up. It was like he was sneaking it. "I know you're awake." He said but she didn't even move an inch. "Look, I'm sorry."

Although surprised thhe kunoichi didn't answer nor flinch. She was already suspiscious of his reason for her adbuction. She was told that she was needed by Akatsuki but by the way he was dressed, it seemed like he wasn't at all connected with Akatsuki any longer. What the hell did he want with her?

"Look, whether you're awake or not, I'm only going to tell you this once." He took a deep breath before continuing. "I probably shouldn't be too harsh on you. I trust you to not escape therefor I'm giving you the freedom to walk around the house and around the yard. In order to gain your trust, I have to trust you first. So please, just... Don't go." Still no response from the kunoichi. "That's all."

He was halfway out of the door when Sakura bolted up from her lying position. "Deidara!" He stepped back and looked at her. "Dei... Why..?"

He then avoided eye contact. Her eyes were filled with confusion-pleading him for answers. "Get some sleep. I need you to do something for me tomorrow."

"You do know I'm not going out of this room before I get answers, right?" She said flatly.

"Suit yourself." He then left, closing the door quietly behind him.

She didn't know why but hearing him saying that he had to trust her, it made her feel a _little_ comfortable. Seeing the way he had looked when she called him... Teary eyes and a desperate face... It drove some of her wariness and fear away. Although, she still had thousands of questions to ask him, she couldn't find the guts to seem humble in front of him and ask him for the answers he needed. Laying back on the matress, she continued thinking about the situation. Before she knew it, she was already asleep.

Hours passed until the sunshine coming in from the window illuminated on Sakura's peaceful sleeping face. She covered her face with the blanket which protected her body from the cold darkness. Her eyes snapped when she had realized she was already wrapped up in a toasty blanket. She propped herself on her elbows, observing the blanket that she held. Her head turned to the window... When did that get there? How..?

She pulled the blanket off of her and got to her feet. Her eyes investigated the room for more changes. Unfortunately, only the blanket and window were the only things that had suddenly appeared and nothing else.

She walked up to the door and turned the knob. To her surprise, the door was unlocked. She left her room, silently shutting the door in case Deidara was anywhere around the house. She didn't want him finding out she was sneaking around the house.

The first door she passed by was a door to another bedroom. It was empty. She figured Deidara was probably outside or not anywhere near here. Who knew. Other than the other door which was locked, the two bedrooms were the only two other rooms. She made a turn at the end of the hallway. The first time she realized she was actually on the second floor. She didn't realize it was a 2 storey building. Stealthily, she descended down the steps.

Walking around the main floor of the room, she found herself entering the kitchen. It was a bit too sanitary for a guy living alone. She looked out the window and noticed all the trees surrounding the house. "Where am I..?" She thought out loud. Finally, she made up her mind and stepped out of the house. That moment, she found herself standing in the middle of some sort of garden. It was grassy and there were white flowers scattered all around. She examined them carefully. They weren't flowers at all. They were all made of clay.

"Oi, Haruno." Sakure's head turned to the house and she saw Deidara standing by the open window. Other than the fact that he didn't have a shirt on, she also realized that he was rubbing his hair with a towel. "I go take a shower and you're off to run away from me? I thought I said I trusted you not to leave."

She didn't hear half of what he had said. She was too busy examining the scars and burns on his torso. It ruined his masculine body. His body was close to perfect if not for all the injuries. _He self-destructed. End of story_. She recalled Sasuke's story in her head. She heard him say how Deidara had died several times already. But then again, here he was, fresh from his morning bath. She shook the thoughts out of her head. "I wasn't.." She trailed of and finally, she asked. "Where did you bring me?"

"Home." He smirked seeing how Sakura was so confused. "I'm sorry. It's _my_ home."

Her eyebrow raised. "Doesn't Akatsuki have some sort of headquarters or something?"

The blond placed his elbows on the bottom window sill and leaned over. "For sure, by now, you've already noticed that I'm not wearing a cloak anymore."

"And you don't have a ring anymore." The pink-haired woman added. "What do you want from me?" Asked Sakura in a stern tone.

He stood straight again and placed the towel around his neck. "A moment of your time and your understanding. Get in and I'll explain. And I _did_ promise you that you could ask any question you wanted to ask." Finally, some answers. It was the moment of truth. She could find out what she needed directly from him.


	6. During Breakfast

**I really loved making this chapter! I don't know why. Maybe because while I was writing it, it was raining here. Until now, the skies continue to shower at our town. Anyway, enjoy this chapter! I don't own Naruto or any of its character! All of them belong to Masashi Kishimoto! -demoNiko**

* * *

The blond hopped down the stairs and entered the kitchen without even looking at the kunoichi who had just closed the front door. He still didn't have a shirt on. What else did she expect? It was summer after all. She followed behind him and sat on one of the chairs placed around the circular table in the middle of the room. Although he pretty much moved around like there was no one else in the house, her brain and body remained alert.

Deidara opened the cupboards and took out three plastic containers. "If you want coffee, I'm not making it for you." He said, not turning to her once. He crossed the room to take a cup from the cabinet above the sink.

It pretty much amazed her how he could move so comfortably with an enemy like her in the room. She knew what she was capable of doing and yet, he seemed to have let his guard down around her. _In order to gain your trust, I have to trust you first. _His voice suddenly echoed in her brain. Was that it?

"Why do you move around as if I'm a regular visitor?" Sakura asked, her hand tightening its grip on her cargo pants.

He continued to walk around the room, collecting bread, butter, such and such without hesitation. "Your questions have to wait until I'm done with my explanation." He went and put in the right amount of coffee, sugar and creamer for his coffee and then poured in hot water which she figures he had boiled before he took a bath. He looked at her as he stirred the brown liquid in his mug, noticing how stiff and tense she was. "If you don't want to have breakfast, just tell me. I'll put all these back to where they belong." He said, gesturing to the food he had scattered on the counter beside the stove.

Did he mean to say that he had gathered almost all the food in the kitchen just in case she wanted some food? "Why are you being so-"

"Why are you being so stubborn?" Deidara said jokingly. "I thought I told you that you questions _have_ to wait. Now tell me if you want some Goddamned breakfast or not." The truth is, he wasn't really being nice to her. He was just stalling so he could have more time to organize his scrambled thoughts.

Never letting her guard down, she stood up warily and made her way to the counter while Deidara walked toward the seat across the one she took. One the counter were a loaf of bread, a pack of butter, cheese, some fruits and the three containers. She only took a slice of bread and spread butter on it and the returned back to her seat.

He looked at her, mused. "No coffee? Just a slice of brea-"

"I thought you were going to explain the situation?" She said dryly while she stared at him with a blank expression. Deidara shot her a mild glare. "Well? Start explaining."

He sighed, placing his coffee on the wooden table. "Very well. I'll start at the beginning." He paused dramatically and Sakura tensed. "You probably heard from Sasuke about my self-destruction and I know you're having a hard time believing if it's really me. Well, in some ridiculous but miraculous way, I gained consciousness hours after Sasuke had gone. I realized then that I had more dreams in life and it was too soon for me..." He trailed off.

It was true. The moment his eyes had opened and he knew that Sasuke had already left his dead body there. For a moment, he thought he was already dead. His thoughts were defied when he felt a piercing pain burn his chest. How could he have not blown to pieces? His jutsu was _flawless_. His execution was perfect. How could he not be dead at this very moment? But then, he wouldn't want that. It was just a wonder how he ended up living another life.

"So with all I had, I crawled to the nearest village. It was a small village and it wasn't the type of village to know what was going on in the Shinobi World so they accepted me and healed me with Science." Sakura could clearly see so. If it were chakra that had healed him, she would barely see his scars and burns. Deidara continued his story while he stared at his mug of coffee as if it was going to run away. "I grew fond of the family that took care of me while I was in such a weak condition. They didn't even bother asking me about where I was from or what I did for a living. Instead, they asked me about my plans, my goals in life. I told them about my dreams. They didn't care who I was or where I was from." His lips tugged at the sides forming a faint smile. "When I was about to leave, they told me that _as long as I had good intentions, I was always welcome to come back to them_. The first heart-warming words I've ever heard in years."

The way his eyes beamed and the way he smiled while telling his story... It somehow gave Sakura the impression that he wasn't making it all up. He seemed... _Sincere_. Good. It meant he was explaining everything to her. "How did you end up living here?" Sakura asked, not noticing how absorbed she got in his story.

He didn't look up nor did his expression change. He continued his story. "I left the family and hid myself from the world. I travelled the ninja world avoiding villages knowing they would all take notice of me whether I hid myself or not. Months later, I found out from a bunch of gypsies that Uchiha Itachi had died and Sasuke returned to his village. And so, I traveled around the East region with ease, knowing I wouldn't run into Sasuke anymore. The same week I had heard of Itachi's death, I ran into Kisame."

* * *

_Deidara avoided entering the small village by taking the long way around. If he hid himself under layers of cloth, the village would become suspiscious of him. If not, then the villagers would recognize him and report him the the Hidden Villages. This morning, the sky had been so clear... He wondered how it was quickly crowded by grey cottony clouds by noon. _

_He seeked shelter in a cave formed by several boulders supporting each other. He crouched while entering and sat facing the outside. It was cloudy and the wide leaves of the trees denied the forest of sunlight even more. Knowing that that area was rarely crossed, he took of his straw hat and let his long hair fall on his back, confident that there was little possibility someone would catch him there._

_He removed his sandals, feeling uncomfortable wearing wet footwear. Placing them beside him, he waited patiently for them to dry and for the rain to let up._

_He didn't notice that someone was approaching until that someone stood in front of him, dripping wet and looking very much exhausted. He raised his head slowly until his eyes caught the sight of the intruder's grin. He knew that evil grin. He had seen it at least once or twice._

_"So you survived?" The wide man said in a deep and monstrous voice. He entered the small space as well and pushed the sandals back so he could take a seat. Deidara couldn't take his eyes off of him. He was too stunned that he had been caught off guard so carelessly. "Care to tell me how you ended up here?"_

_Deidara was at first hesitant to tell him about his journey but then again, Kisame's partner had just died and he was probably looking for some company. He told him about his encounter with the nice people who healed him. He told Kisame of his long travels from country to country, trying to avoid public attention. He also told him about what he had heard recently. "Did Sasuke really kill him?"_

_There was a short moment of silence between the two. The pitter-patter of the rain against the grass and leaves of the trees were the only noise for miles. And then, Kisame answered. "Of course! It was part of Itachi's plan, after all!" Then he laughed._

_Although Kisame was probably never going to admit it but Deidara knew he missed Itachi. He missed having company. He missed someone criticizing his decisions and actions. But Deidara didn't push him to admitting it. He had developed a heart already. Or maybe it was there all the time but he never noticed it during the Akatsuki days. Bottomline: Deidara knew how hard it was for Kisame to lose someone he had been with for a long time. He wasn't going to try and worsen it._

_"I just hope Sasuke made sure he was dead." Kisame chuckled. "So something like this won't happen again." He gestured to Deidara's wholeness. "I can't believe you actually survived. I heard you did a good number on yourself." He looked at Deidara's body. "Apparently, they were wrong. You're still in one piece!"_

_Deidara laughed with him. "It's a good thing too." The blonde said, looking at a random direction. "I can live the life that Akatsuki had denied me." He then smiled. "I can live on my own and this time, away from trouble... Just like my life before entering Akatsuki."_

_"First, you gotta find some place to crash. Or anywhere to settle in." _

_Both of them didn't realize how casually they were speaking to each other. It was as if they had been partners for a long time. Both of them thought of a place where Deidara could live peacefully. Deidara refused to settle in a village. He said he was fine alone and away from civilization so Kisame jokingly suggested his live in the woods in his own clay house. A light bulb lit up above Deidara's head that moment._

_"Woah, kid. I was only kidding about the clay house" Kisame said flatly. "Besides, where would you get the furniture? At the old warehouse near Akatsuki HQ?" He joked again. Then Deidara grinned at him as if he had some devious intentions. "God, I need to learn to joke better." He thought out loud._

* * *

"After that, the rain let up and just by coincidence, he was on his way back to the Hidden Rain. I found a good spot in the woods and the rest was history. I've lived here for months already." He finished his cup of coffee and pushed the mug aside. He placed his elbows on the wooden surface of the desk. "Now, I need you to listen carefully. The main reason I brought you here is because I want you to hear me clearly when I tell you that I don't want anyone knowing about my existence."

Sakura's eyebrows approached each other, listening closely to what he had to say. He resumed his talking. "I'm here as Deidara. I have no connection with Akatsuki what-so-ever. I live in this forest as a civillian. I commit no crime. I don't break the laws anymore. I'm just trying to live the life I couldn't have in my _previous_ _life_." He stood up and grabbed his cup. "I'm not here to cause anymore trouble."

He made his way to the sink and placed his mug there. Sakura had finished her bread before he even finished his story. But one piece of bread wasn't going to satisfy her until lunch time so she stood up and grabbed another slice. "Exactly what kind of life do you wish to live from now on?"

The blonde crossed the room again and stood beside her, grabbing himself his own slice of bread. "I want to live here on my own. I just want to make the sculptures the way they're supposed to be made-with care and _not_ with devious attempts. I want to be able to move around freely." As he had voiced out the last word, the scar on his abdomen suddenly pierced. "Speaking of which, I need you to take care of something later." His hand landed on his scar.

"What?" She suddenly snapped. Listening to him was one thing but helping him out was another. "Oh wait, can I ask questions already?"

Deidara nodded once. "I just told you that I wish to move freely and I can't do that with all my injuries. Look, there are only a few to take care of. After that, you can leave." Deidara motioned his hands as if he was sending her away. "What else do you need to know, anyway?"

"I'll be saving my questions about your scars for later. Right now, I want to know what the hell you were trying to do in my room when I saw you." She took her seat again and waited for Deidara to return in front of her as well.

Once Deidara had finished layering cheese on his slice of bread, he began explaining on his seat. "Kisame had a mission and so he decided to take me with him since Zetsu doesn't tag along with him. I've been told that Zetsu had another mission. We were on our way back here and we stopped in Kawa no Onsen Machi for the night. The next day, we were already half a kilometer away from the village when I noticed my necklace was missing." He lifted his necklace off of his collarbone slightly with the use of his thumb. "I realized I had left it in the room we were staying in which just so happened to be _your _room. I tried sneaking in several times but..."

"You could have just waited for us to leave in a couple of days, you know?" Sakura stated as if it was the obvious answer.

The former-Akatsuki member shook his head, trying to tell Sakura it wasn't that simple. "We couldn't wait for another couple days. Akatsuki expected Kisame to be back in less than a week." He took a bite of his bread and chewed on it for a couple of seconds. Sakura was looking at him with an unreadable expression. "What?"

His eyes were mesmerizing. They were a nice shade of sapphire. And his hair was bright blonde. It kind of reminded her of Naruto... But the way it flowed down his body reminded her of someone else. "You look like someone I know." Sakura chuckled. A blonde eyebrow raised. "Don't worry, she's not that bad." And then came her laugh.

"_She_?" Exclaimed Deidara. "Not only do I look like a girl... But sounds to me like she ain't so good."

"Don't worry. We used to be... Not so good with each other but we've outgrown that." Sakura said. The moment she realized that the conversation was soon to be about Ino, she drove them back to her point. "So, anyway... All this time, you abducted me just because you wanted your necklace back and your identity spared?"

He nodded. "Well, would you have listened to me if I asked nicely back then?" Sakura fell quiet. Over the years, she became someone who was very rash and impulsive. Of course, she wouldn't have given him a second to explain. That's why he had to go through drastic measures.

"You mentioned something about being denied a normal life by Akatsuki." Deidara fell silent that moment. "Care to explain?"

Images of his past flashed in his head for a brief moment. "I became a missing at a very early age. I stole something from my village before I ran away and it is the technique I'm well-known for-exploding clay. The day I was recruited into Akatsuki was one of the days that I began thinking what it would be like to just give it up and go back to my village. I would probably be punished for my actions but Onoki-sensei would have known about my repentance." He finished the small piece of bread on his hand. "The day I was recruited into Akatsuki was probably one of the worst days of my life."

It was true. When Zetsu was looking for him, he had found Deidara sitting on a riverbank, staring at his hitai-ate. The plant-person threw a kunai to scratch the sign of the Hidden Stone Village on the plate of metal. Zetsu called his name in a very much monstrous and hair-raising voice. That moment before he had interrupted him, Deidara was already thinking about going back to his village.

Sakura couldn't find the words to say to the blonde. Although she still felt her blood boiling at him, she also pitied him. The way his head hung like that... She knew he was hurting. "Well, at least now, you can finally do it. You're free to do what you want now that no one knows you're alive." The blonde raised his head and gave her a weak smile.

And there was something about that smile that made some of the hate ebb away.

"I guess so. But still, I'm not _that_ free to move around. I have to keep my identity hidden from the world." He answered in a frustrated tone. "I have to be careful not to attract attention."

Sakura's mind registered a minor problem. Well, it wasn't really _her_ problem. It's Deidara's problem. "Deidara, my comrades probably reported me missing already." He shot her a look that said _so what_. "Well, I told one of my teammates that I _may_ have seen you but he tried to convince me that it may just be my imagination but I know somewhere deep inside, he's suspiscious as well."

He narrowed his eyes at her, suddenly feeling his blood boil. "Which teammate?" He hissed.

"It's _Kakashi_." She briefly answered.

He dropped his head on the table, producing a loud _thud_. "Of all the teammates you had to tell, you told Mr. One-Eye-Sharingan?" But then again, telling Naruto wouldn't be much of an improvement. Telling Sasuke about him would be even worse. "What am I going to do with you?"

Both remained silent. Sakura because she felt a little guilty and Deidara because he was thinking about a solution that the bratty blossom made for him. The clock ticked and tocked as seconds had gone by. Their silence was deafening. "Look," She murmured. "I'm not saying that I'm on your side or that I pity you completely. I could help you but not in a sense that I'm going to visit you every week just to ask how you're doing."

"Where are you going with this?" He snapped as he sat up straight and gave her a mild glare.

"Maybe..." She couldn't believe she was suggesting a solution to _the_ Deidara. "Maybe I could write to my teammates and tell them I'm okay." Said Sakura with a sympathizing smile. "I can tell them I went off for a walk and when I came back, they were gone."

He frowned at her suggestion. "That's not going to be considered as a valid letter by your teammates, Sakura." When he looked at her, the only thing missing was the word _confused_ stamped on her forehead. "I sent Kisame to distract you guys while I retrieve my necklace. Unfortunately, you weren't with them. If you told them you were off for a walk, it would be impossible for you not to notice the chakra leaking out from the battle. It would be impossible for you to not know that there was a battle going on in the middle of town. If you really left the building, you would have run to their direction."

She was surprised he even considered the events for the excuse. "Then what should I tell them?"

"Tell them you're fine and you're at a friends and you'll be back in a few days. Just tell them something came up, yeah." He suggested as if he didn't even care.

Well, it was a more vague but valid and much more reasonable. "Like? The cat burglar snuck into my room and I decided to chase him and then ran into a dead end out of Kawa no Onsen Machi? Something like that?" She chuckled.

Deidara's face lit up. He looked at her with a devious smile. "Yeah, maybe you could write something like that. And tell them when you came back, they were gone already. It explains everything. Even though you could sense there was a fight, you had to chase after the buglar because he took something from you!" He looked at the clock and got up to his feet when he realized the time. "Get on it. I have to meet with my food supplier before 10."

Sakura opened her mouth to protest on the matter but Deidara had already turned his back before she could utter a word. He climbed back upstairs, perhaps to get a top to cover up his naked torso. Sakura got up and stood in the kitchen doorway. He hopped back downstairs wearing a muscle shirt. Rushing to the side of the stairs, he opened the small closet under the steps which Sakura never noticed before. "Deidara..." He didn't mind her. "Deidara..."

"Didn't I tell you to get on with the letter already, woman?" He slipped on his black sandals and put on a plain black cloak on in one fluid move. It was the one he wore during his small trips. It resembled that of Akatsuki's but it lacked the red clouds.

"I don't have any writing materials on me." Immediately, she responded. "You kidnapped me, not my bag."

He sighed with frustration. "Fine." He faced the tiny closet again ang pulled out a shoe box. It looked like it was something he didn't take out everyday. In fact, it looks like this was the only other time he had touched it, other than the time he kept it in there. "Wear that. We're going to a near enemy territory." He pulled out a scarf from under the stairs and wrapped it around his head to conceal his identity.

Sakura leaned over and took the box in her hands. Slowly, she lifted the top portion of the box and her eyes widened as big as bowling balls when she saw the content. "You're not _seriously_ asking me to wear this, are you?" She recognized the red clouds on the cloak.

"Wear it or be known as Haruno Sakura the moment the natives pass us by-it's your choice, yeah." She groaned. She didn't want to wear it. In fact, she didn't have the guts to pull it out of the box. She looked at Deidara with a hesitant expression. "Alright, alright." He stripped out of his black cloak and tossed it to Sakura. Carelessly, she caught it with her left hand while she balanced the shoe box in the other. "You can thank me later." He took the box from Sakura's hands and pulled out his old Akatsuki cloak. "First we'll meet with _him_ and then we'll get your supplies."

Sakura gave him a single nod before throwing on her-Deidara's-cloak. The collar was high enough to conceal the nose of her face and the measure was just right for her. Deidara's scent lingered on the black material. It was exotic-a hint of his natural clay scent along with his, what she guessed was, body spray. Very masculine, indeed. It was almost hypnotizing and it was one of the assets she looked for in a guy.

Both stepped outside while the resident of the house locked up. Even though there were very few that passed by here, there were a handful of times when he found bounty hunters trying to open his home. Of course, he had to dispose of them. And by that, meaning he had to ask Kisame for his help. Often times, Kisame would be with him and he it would always be his pleasure to _take care_ of the unwanted.

"Let's go." Said Deidara and went on ahead while Sakura was trying to feel comfortable inside Deidara's cloak. This was going to be a _long _day for her.

And surely, for Deidara too. Never had he a companion other than Kisame that's why deep inside, it was a bit awkward and also, nerve-wrecking. The Slug Princess' apprentice was walking with him. Who knows what she could do to him if he let his guard down? But then again, he had to trust to gain her trust. That's what he had to remind himself often to keep himself from being paranoid of her.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Konoha, Kakashi and Naruto were waiting for Sasuke to show up in front of the Godaime's office. The artist was in the archive discussing a special mission with Shizune, Yamato and Kurenai so he wasn't available in the moment. Naruto paced back and forth, not forgetting what had happened yesterday.

"Kakashi, what does Akatsuki want with Sakura?" He questioned the Copy Nin.

The silver-haired man shook his head. "Calm down, Naruto. We aren't still sure of that theory. Maybe Sakura went off else where." Kakashi himself knew that was a lie. A hypocrite he was. But what else could he do? Hypocrisy is needed in their daily life as shinobis. "Here he is."

"Found anything?" Naruto immediately asked the newly-arrived ninja. "Locks of hair? Eyelashes?"

Sasuke hit him hard at the back of his head. "Idiot, it'll be hard to look for something like that." With a blank expression, he turned to Kakashi. "Unfortunately, there were no clues left in Sakura's bag." Although, there were a lot of medical books, a bottle of metal polish for her kunais and shurikens and a bunch of blank scrolls. "What now?"

"We ask her again. She told us to look for some sort of clue as hard as we can." He looked at the door of the office and exhaled with feeling. "We are going to be in a _lot_ of trouble."


	7. Trip to Byakurai

**Here's the new chapter! I just did it the last minute before we left the Philippines! And I finished it. I was really excited and inspired back then so this chapter is the longest on yet! Anyway, here you are! It's really been fun writing this.**

**I don't own Naruto. ;)**

* * *

The sun was somewhat pretty high for this time of day. But then again, it was already the middle of summer. Haruno Sakura was already sweating underneath Deidara's cloak. The feeling of her damp forearm rubbing against the sleeves of the cloak was just uncomfortable. What if she'd smell? She still didn't get a decent shower this day while her companion was fresh from the bathroom.

A few more minutes passed before Deidara stopped in front of a tree. Sitting under the tree, he looked to Sakura. "All we have to do is wait for him here and then we'll get your supplies." He pulled out his pouch from under his cloak. Deidara began molding the clay he had pulled out of his cream-colored pouch with one hand. Without looking at her, he spoke. "You can sit down, yeah. Anywhere. He'll be here momentarily." With his free hand, he took off his straw hat and pulled the cloth that concealed his face to his neck.

The girl from Konoha observed as the mouth on his palm opened wide, its tongue examining the clay's texture. The way it moved, it was so delicate yet graceful. It took a while before she realized she was staring and Deidara noticed as well. His blue orbs moved to the corner of his eyes to look at her and she quickly turned away. Slowly, she turned her attention back to him and wasn't at all surprised that he was looking at her. She knew her stares were really noticeable. She'd been told a handful of times.

Neither spoke as they looked at each other with unreadable expressions. Until a summer breeze passed them by, neither turned away. Sakura looked to her feet, finally finding their exchange of glances rather uncomfortable. She quickly shifted the trail of her thoughts to her teammates. What were they doing now? How were they? What did they make out of her sudden disappearance?

With one last look, Deidara turned his attention back to his art. He was almost done, anyway. Using his skills, he molded a miniature version of the bird he, Kisame and Sakura rode on their way here. In less than a minute after he finished, he sensed a familiar chakra approaching.

Sakura detected it as well. She faced Deidara and her eyes widened. She recognized that chakra. Could it be? _Kisame,_ she thought.

The dry twigs scattered on the forest floor crunched under the steps of the approaching person or _food supplier_ as Deidara named him. "Oi!" A chuckle followed after the manly but inhuman voice. "I see you've bonded in a very short period of time!" Sakura's guard went up when a blue-skinned man stepped out of the shadows of the forest. Her hand was positioned on top of her kunai pouch and her knees were bent, ready to flee.

The blond got up and set his creation flying back home. He took note of Sakura's stance and looked to her with a ridiculed face. "Hey! If you kill him then I lose my food supplier!" He laughed. Finally, Sakura noticed that Kisame was carrying a messenger bag. "Kisame, I think it's better if you set Samehada aside."

"But-" Deidara looked at him with widened eyes as if he was warning the shark. "Fine, I'll keep him away from her. Anything to keep the princess comfortable." He muttered. Kisame pulled his shark sword from his back and leaned it against a tree at least 4 meters away from them.

The explosives experts folded his arms. "So? What did you bring me today?" He asked as if he'd been expecting something from him.

Kisame unstrapped the blue bag from his body and handed it to thhe former-Akatsuki. "It's the ingredients you asked for last week. I just got them yesterday since the market still waited for a new shipment. The vedgetables last week were already rotting." Walking past the blonde, he planted his buttocks on the ground under the tree. "Mind if I sit here? I'm exhausted. And there are also some baking ingredients there in case the princess knows how or in case she might look for something to do." He added.

Both of the men knew how many times Deidara craved for a slice of cake. He didn't mind the flavor. As long as it was cake. Once, he had thrown a tantrum just because Kisame forgot to look for a decent bakery back in the Hidden Rain and thus, forgetting about his cake.

The kunoichi sat under the tree meters across Kisame's. It bothered her how they were able to talk so casually even though she was there. She wondered how _Kisame_ wasn't threatened. She was there. He had seen what she could do. He _knew_ what she could do. And yet, he kept calling her _princess_ though it was obvious that it annoyed her. She brought her legs to her chest and wrapped her arms around her shins. Placing her head on her forearm, she tried ignoring the two and thought about Team 7 again.

How were they doing without her? Did Sai and Naruto still fight? It's only been one night and yet, she was really worried one destroying the other just because they called each other names. It could only have been games and yet, she couldn't bring herself to forget that one time when Sai tried to beat Naruto into a pulp just because the Kyuubi mocked his artwork.

Kisame observed her for a moment while Deidara checked the contents of the bag, checking if everything he needed was there. "She's missing her team." He thought out loud. Deidara let out a sound of curiosity. "She misses her team." He repeated.

Deidara, still busy with the ingredients, responded. "Of course, she'll miss them. I bet they get together every night and-"

"Did you know she's an ANBU now?" Deidara's head snapped at the shark's direction.

"ANBU?" He exclaimed. "Last month, I overheard bounty hunters looking for a Chuunin named Haruno Sakura. She's still Chuunin, Kisame."

The shark nodded once. "Yeah, but with her exceptional medic skills, she was recruited as an ANBU Medic. She has her own team of medics and they've worked a couple of times already." The younger raised an eyebrow at him, wondering how the fuck he knew all those. "Bingo Books-they're exceptionally informative nowadays. I passed by a couple of bounty hunters this morning and I did a little research on the princess hostage when I finished them."

Deidara closed the bag and looked at Sakura who looked like she was sleeping under the summer sun. "She didn't have a tattoo."

"You only get the tattoo once you're an _official_ ANBU member. She's still Chuunin and normally, you're not qualified to be ANBU until you're promoted to Jonin." Explained Kisame. "Why'd you bring her, anyway? You could've just left her in the room."

The blonde slipped on the blue bag and fixed his hair. "We're going to Byakurai no Machi. We need some supplies and I can't just leave her inside _my_ house. I know she won't escape but who knows what she could find there."

Kisame chuckled. "Yeah, I bet she'll find your porn stash in just a matter of minutes if you leave her there." He laughed so loud, Sakura even heard it. She raised her head to look at the both of them. Her face was damp with sweat and strands of hair stuck on her forehead and cheeks.

The blonde kicked Kisame in the shin. "Shut up! I threw all those away a long time ago!"

"Yeah, even though I just delivered them to you last week!" He laughed harder and louder this time, he almost rolled to the floor. He felt Deidara's glare burn a hole on him. He tried to stopped laughing but a chuckle couldn't help but slip from him every now and then. "Okay, okay. Go on ahead. I'll try to catch up with you. I still have to go back to HQ or else Pein will be suspicious. I told him I was only going to take a morning stroll around the village." He rose and glanced at Sakura one last time. He ture=ned back to Deidara. "Be careful with her," he mumbled to him. "And treat her with care. If you do anything to harm her and when Konoha finds out, you'll be dead in a heartbeat."

Deidara nodded once at Kisame's statement. In fact, he had no intention of harming her.

Kisame looked at Sakura. "Oi, _princess_!" He called. She looked at him, confused. "I trust you not to kill this guy! He's the only companion I have now that Sasuke killed my partner." All she could do was give him a weak smile. Though Kisame didn't understand what it meant, he just nodded at her firmly, accepting her answer.

Kisame was about to walk back to the Hidden Rain. He walked to Deidara's side, facing the opposite direction he was. "And by the way, be careful not to fall for those green eyes... _Again_." He muttered before walking away. Deidara turned to him and watched his back as the shadows of the woods consumed him in again.

Sakura approached her companion. "So where are we going now?"

"Byakurai no Machi." He answered. "No one will ever recognize us there. That town is so hospitable, they'd welcome the whole Akatsuki organization without thinking twice. They know nothing of the shinobi world that's why they are oblivious to the deadly visitors they accept."

They began walking again, Deidara taking the lead. Sakura followed after him, hoping that what he had said was true. If not, then both of them were in big trouble.

* * *

Tsunade had summoned for Team 7 for almost half an hour now and not a sould entered the room. She was busy reading files about several bounty hunters who had targeted Haruno Sakura. She had ANBU squads go after them but no luck. All of them were either innocent or dead.

Where had Sakura disappeared to?

She placed the files back on her desk and let out a frustrated sigh. Maybe they were just paranoid about this. Maybe Sakura was alright. But what if she wasn't? Tsunade didn't know what to think anymore. This wasn't working. She didn't get a decent sleep at all thinking of Sakura.

She had treated the Chuunin like her own daughter. She taught her everything she knew. She believed in Sakura-enough to recruit her as an ANBU Medic at her rank. Normally, you had to be Jonin to be able to enter the ANBU. But Sakura was an exception. Her skills, both medical and fighting, were that of a Jonin. In fact, the Elders even considered Sakura as a candidate for the next Hokage. Sakura was strong-stronger than Tsunade of the Sannin and only a number of people acknowledged that.

Tsunade lost her trail of thoughts when the hinge of her door creaked as Team 7 entered her office. "You wanted to see us?" Kakashi asked, closing the door behind him.

"Yes, well..." The Godaime rose to her feet and walked to the front of the table. "I assume none of us still know what the hell had happened to Sakura so let's not assume that's she's being held against her will or being tortured by some bastard out there. We'll wait for some news or anything. If Sakura sends us a letter or anything at all to prove that she's okay, then we can relax. If there's still no sign of her... Then we will have to send for ANBU squads to all the nations to look for her."

"Doesn't that seem a bit..." Sasuke started but he silenced when Tsunade glared at him.

She knew what he was about to say. Sending out ANBU squads to the other countries seemed to much just to look for one kunoichi. "Sakura is a valueable kunoichi and very much respected in Konoha. You can consider her as valueable as Naruto and Kakashi. Sakura can now be found in Bingo Books and I hate to say this but her bounty is much heavier than mine. We have to have her back in Konoha."

Team 7 silently agreed with the Hokage. "How long will we wait?" Asked the Jinchuuriki.

"She delivers mail through random birds so it could take a while. How about we wait for a week starting today? We have another 6 days." All males in the room nodded. "Dismissed."

* * *

She wasn't really sure how long they travelled to get to Byakurai no Machi but when they stepped foot into the so-called hospitable town, she felt a storm in her stomach. She was hungry already and she was pretty sure Deidara was too from the way he was rubbing his belly through his cloak.

"We should get the supplies and hurry back home. I still have to cook and right now, I'm famished." He thought out loud.

Sakura looked around. The town was pretty small. In fact, it only had one road and she could see the gate on the other side. She assumed the road was about 90 meters. On either side of the road were buildings, mostly seemed to have more than one floor. A normal number of people walked along the streets. They stood out. In fact, a few people stood out. She assumed the ones in heavy clothing and carrying heavy equipment were all tourists-travellers from different towns and villages. You could quickly distinguish the locals from the tourists.

"So where are we going to find writing materials?" Sakura asked flatly.

He looked around, searching for a possible store where they could find what they were looking for. He seldom came to this town that's why after several months of living alone, he remains unfamiliar with this area. His eyes came across a small bookshop somewhere in the middle of the town. "There. Let's see if they have any." He looked at her from head to toe. "And if you have some cash on you, let's buy you a new set of clothes so you can shower when we get back, yeah."

Her cheeks were tinted with pink, wondering why the hell he brought that up. Did she smell already? One thing she hated was smelled like sweat. And she hated even more when people notice it. "I don't have money. Remember: you left my bag."

With his lips tugged at one side, Deidara shrugged. "Alright. I guess I'll have to lend you some of mine."

He led her to the store. The bell above the door jingled as they entered the cramped shop. There were books all around-fixed on the shelf and scattered on the floor. Several colored notebooks were stacked in one corner, some already falling from the top. On a shelf above the stack were blank scrolls. There were only a few bundles and Sakura guessed there were only a few because shinobi rarely pass by here.

A clumsy man in glasses stumbled from the back of the counter on the other end of the store. He got up and dusted his blue polo shirt. Sakura could see his youth on his face. He was probably younger than Deidara but older than her. His hair was brown, the same shade as Tenten's. His eyes were chinky and a dark shade of blue. "How may I help you?" His voice was similar to Naruto's but deeper. She felt her cheeks going hot when he looked at her. To hide the unusual shade of her face, she looked to the scattered books in front of her. "I'm Kayasuke Dino, by the way."

He felt something burn inside him when Deidara saw Dino gazing at Sakura and he didn't know why. "We're looking for some scrolls and pens and I see you have a few." Sakura sensed some kind of tension in his voice. Was he always like that when he was conversing with strangers? Because if that was the case, then she was going to do the talking for him.

Dino looked around the shop, surprised that they had a few left. He could've sworn they were out of scroll last week. Well, who would notice with all the mess in the shop? He looked to Deidara. His eyes were on fire-he was glaring at him and Dino felt intimidated by his evil stare. He then turned his attention to the smaller person whose face was currently tinted with a light shade of pink. Her head slightly tilted as she gave him a heart-warming smile. "I'll get what you need."

"Thank you." Sakura said, her voice very soft and gentle... Unlike the blue-eyed guy's which was demanding and very much intimidating.

He entered the back of his shop, probably going to look for some pens. As soon as he was out of sight, Deidara turned his head to Sakura, his eyes screaming anger. "I'll do the talking when we're not home, alright?" She returned the glare. "Look, you're just too... Gentle."

_Gentle_? "Do you really want me to show you what I can do, blondie?" He just called her gentle. To hell with that! She was known for being brutal like her shishou! He, above all other people, should know that very well. She killed her partner, for crying out loud and yet he called her _gentle_.

"Watch your mouth, blossom. If you-"

His threat was cut off when Dino shuffled out of the back of the store and to the shelf where the scrolls were placed. "That's at least 102 Yen." He gathered all they needed and put them in a paper bag as Deidara pulled out his wallet.

Sakura was kind of surprised to find out it wasn't made of clay. Pushing the thoughts aside, she thought of the prize. Wasn't the price a little too much? In Konoha, when she bought some pens and a couple of scrolls, it only cost 75 Yen. She was even more shocked to find Deidara paying for it without minding the price. She was sure he also thought the same thing. "Kayasuke-dono," She started. Dino handed the bag to Deidara but looked at Sakura. "Isn't the price too high for just pens and a couple of scrolls?"

"Well, it really is so high. But this town is so small and is seldom passed by, our businesses are always in the negative that's why we increased our prices. The doctors here too are not very good and everyone knows it so they can't really pay them that high knowing they're not that good." Explained the brunette.

Maybe if she met the doctors, she could talk to them and give them some advice. Deidara knew what she was thinking and glared at her as he accepted the paper bag. "We're going home." He said firmly. After that, he headed for the door, expecting Sakura to follow immediately behind him. But as he stepped outside, he noticed Sakura was still talking with the clerk.

"That's too bad," Sakura sympathized Dino. "You have any medical books here, Kayasuke?" He nodded. "Great, I'll come back if I can because.." She slowly turned to Deidara who was looking at her with an unreadable face from the window of the book shop. "..He's in a bad mood. I don't really wanna-"

Dino looked at him and this time, the blonde wasn't glaring at him but instead was intently staring at Sakura's back. "What a boyfriend you have there, miss."

She almost jumped when she heard the word. "No, no. You have it all wrong." She was waving her hands in front of her. "He's not my boyfriend. I wouldn't look at him that way.." _Not in a thousand years, I won't_, she thought to herself.

"Well, he sure looks at you that way."

Sakura quickly looked back at Deidara only to find that he was still staring at her. She didn't know what his face said. It was a very mysterious expression that only Deidara could pull off. She shook her head along with the thoughts in it. "No, he's just.. Not feeling well. Thanks again, Kayasuke. I'll visit again soon, okay?" With a quick bow, Sakura raced out of the shop and backk to Deidara's side.

Not a peep out of the both of them as they walked back to Deidara's house.

* * *

Sai, Kurenai, Yamato entered the office with Shizune tagging along behind the three of them. They all stood in a straight line in front of Tsuade's desk, waiting for her attention as she was reading a report from Chouji and Shikamaru's previous mission. It was almost lunch time and Tsunade had ordered them to make an appearance in her office before noon.

The blonde woman put down the papers and looked to Shizune. "Did you have them go through the information we have?" Shizune nodded once as an answer. "Good. The three of you know what to do already. Head out tomorrow evening. Any questions?"

Sai had his hand slightly raised above his shoulder. "Do we have any news on Sakura yet?"

Tsunade shook her head sadly. "No. Not yet, anyway. Is that all?" She looked at the four of them and continued. "No? Good. What Sakura had told Kakashi is vital information though not yet confirmed. There could be a possiblity that Deidara is still alive." She got to her foot and walked to look outside the window. "Knowing Sasuke, he probably didn't check his body that well. That boy really is _rash_. And one more thing: Make sure Sasuke does not find out about any of this. If he finds out that we have doubts of his opponent's death, he'll make sure it's true even though he has to hunt for that shinobi all over again."

All of her visitors nodded. "Very well then, get out of my office. Shizune, you stay."

The others left, leaving Tsunade and Shizune to themselves. As soon as the door shut behind Kurenai, Tsunade spoke. "We have one week to wait for any sign of Sakura. But in the meantime, the three of them will have to look for some clues about Deidara where he supposedly died." Explained Tsunade.

"But, Tsunade-sama, we did the same for Sasori a few weeks for an autopsy but found no traces of his body." She tried recalling another time when it had happened. "Same goes for Kakuzu's body. ANBU also reported that Itachi's body's whereabouts are unknown."

Frustrated, the Godaime shook her head. "This is bad, Shizune." She remained silent for a moment, thinking about the matter. "How about Haku and Zabuza's bodies?"

"Their bodies were confirmed to still be where Team 7 buried them years ago until now."

Tsunade shook her head again. "What about Chiyo's?"

"Still in Suna like Team 7 left it." She didn't know where they were going with this but wherever it was, Tsunade was definitely going to discover something. She kept answering Tsunade's questions about the bodies of deceased shinobis.

She turned to Shizune. "What about Itachi's body?"

"Missing as well."

She had it now. She finally realized something. "So, Itachi, Kakuzu and Sasori's bodies are missing?" Her companion blinked in confusion. Her eyes narrowed as her mind went deep in thought. "What do the three missing bodies have in common?"

Shizune thought it was a question that recquired knowledge about their personal lives or physical appearance but all she could answer was the obvious. "The three missing bodies are all from Akatsuki." Tsunade gave her a look-a look that said the clue was somewhere within her answer. She thought about it and gasped when she realized it. "Could it be-"

"It's possible that Akatsuki are collecting the remains of their dead members and plan on using them." She stated. "The missing bodies being connected to Akatsuki is _not_ a coincidence."

Confused, Shizune asked her master in a voice that was hinted with panic and shock. "That can't be! What would they do? The bodies are useless now that they're dead. Also, Akatsuki is not that sentimental to give them a burial."

"They're not. But they sure are smart to collect all the bodies for the Summoning Technique." She walked back to her chair and sat down. "It's the Summoning: Impure World Ressurection. It's a jutsu that can ressurect any dead body. The best thing about it is it does not affect the summoner." Shizune walked to the front of her desk again. Tsunade continued. "But it requires a sacrifice and the summoner must have an experience or at least all the knowledge regarding the technique." Her fists hardened. "And the only people I know who can do it are Sandaime and.. Orochimaru."

The raven-haired woman let a breath escape her lips in relief. "Well that's good, both of them are deceased so there's no one else who can-"

"No. We can't relax just yet." Tsunade interrupted. "There's still Kabuto. That boy.. That boy is twisted and I was sure he wasn't the least bit loyal to Orochimaru. Yakushi Kabuto had his own plans... Who knows what he could have done when Orochimaru died?"

Tsunade realized a lot of things they overlooked for so long. Akatsuki bodies going missing, that there is a possibility that Akatsuki is moving under the radar to acquire the bodies and that they've ignored Yakushi Kabuto who was a high-ranked shinobi and who was once Orochimaru's right hand man. "The boy's danger, I tell you." She said briefly before thinking again.

Looks like the paperwork will have to wait. She and Shizune will be going on a trip to the archives and investigate more about Kabuto and the dead men of Akatsuki.


	8. No Birthdays Nor Privacy

**Gosh, has it been a year already? I didn't even see it go by. I'm sorry you guys had to wait and grow a year older before this chapter came out. I was busy during senior year. I'm in college now though and I'm taking Major in Journalism so yehey! I might even improve my writing skills because I plan on attending this workshop for scriptwriting and it will really help me with my dialogues.**

**Sorry for the 365-day wait. :(**

* * *

The sun was at its highest point when Sakura and Deidara have finished eating. She rested her back on the chair and pushed away the plate to indicate her fullness. With the bowl of stew still half-full, Deidara was forced to finish it on his own. He didn't like keeping leftovers. He would forget about leaving them in the refrigerator the morning after.

She had to admit, Deidara was a pretty good cook. Although she wasn't quite sure if he'd known how to cook all along or he just learned after being pulled away from death's door. Preparing the meal alongside him also felt different than she thought it would. At first, she feared that the blond would mercilessly chop the meat apart and hand her bruised vegetables but she was wrong.

When he had handed her a tomato for their salad earlier, she was expecting it to be bruised because of rough hands. She examined the tomato and reminded herself that he molded clay perfectly the way he wanted too. His hands were gentle when he needed them to be.

"Know how to bake, pinky?" Deidara asked out of the blue.

It took a while before she responded with a slight nod. "Tsunade-sama and I, once during Shizune's birthday, baked a cake and a dozen cupcakes." A reminiscent smile brightened up her face as her eyes lingered on the oven behind Deidara. "I baked the cake while Tsunade-sama frosted all the cupcakes."

"A birthday," he murmured to himself. "Never had one of those." He looked at her and found that she'd planted a curious gaze on him. He turned away and looked at the doorway that led to the living room where they had left the supplies she needed to write a letter. "You should really get started on that letter, Sakura. I'll clean up here and you do your part."

Without question, she pushed herself from the table and left the kitchen to Deidara, leaving him to his thoughts. She pulled out a scroll and a pen from the bag and sat on the floor using the couch as a table. She didn't know how to start the letter. She was a little too busy wondering about Deidara and the other Akatsuki members.

Did they even care about their birthdays? Do their partners know? What do they do? Do they even remember? Sakura couldn't imagine Kisame greeting itachi on his annual day and she most certainly couldn't imagine any Akatsuki member blowing out a candle on top of a colorfully decorated cake. But Deidara certainly knew he had one and he surely knew when it was if that was the case.

A shattering sound broke Sakura out of her thoughts. She almost lost her footing when she ran back to the kitchen only to find Deidara staring at the sink with his hands both bracing the counter. Pieces of the plate were scattered all over the floor. He wasn't even wearing his sandals!

She cautiously took a step forward as she asked in a most concerned tone, "Everything alright?" No response. Slowly, she walked to him but when she was only a meter away from him, he reminded her to finish the letter and said that he'll shortly be out.

For a few minutes, she just stood there, looking at him. Seeing as he won't turn to look at her, she left to start with the letter.

* * *

It only took a few several minutes to finish it. Deidara had been fairly quiet since she'd left him in the kitchen. Reading it for the last time to make sure there were no flaws or slip-ups as to her situation, she rolled up the scroll and headed to the kitchen.

To her surprise, it was empty although the plates they used were neatly placed in the dish dryer and the mess he'd made with the broken plate was probably in the garbage can now. She looked around and noted the open window, thinking he had crawled out of the house by the window without her knowledge which she thought was unnecessary. Maybe he just wanted to leave the house without her asking him where he was heading because she would certainly ask him.

Turning away from the empty room, she went back to get her scroll. As she reached for the roll, she heard someone rap on the door followed by words she couldn't make out but from the sound of it, she immediately knew it was Kisame. A bit hesitant, she was, to open the front door to the sight of a walking shark with a gigantic sword clinging on his back. But then again, this wasn't her house and he most likely wasn't there for her so she pulled the door open.

"Deidara here, girly?" She motioned her head, telling him that he wasn't. Getting the hint that he wanted to enter the house with his foot forward, she stepped aside, letting him in. He pulled Samehada and placed him by the closet door under the stairs. "He left you here?"

"Obviously," she answered quietly as her eyes remained narrowed down on him while she took a seat on the couch. How could he talk to her so casually like this? Was he usually like this? Although it was the first time she'd gotten a closer look at him. Of course she'd seen him a few times but she never really had the time or the interest to examine him.

He wasn't _that_ big, she knew. It was the cloak making him look bigger—she knew because she saw Deidara both with and without the cloak. Though he was a shark, he skin seemed smooth like he was using a moisturizing lotion on himself regularly. The look of his hair looked like it was fixed to go upward but it wasn't. It was messy, in fact, though it has a shape to it.

"You look like shit," he'd stated bluntly, snapping her out of her observation. "I'm pretty sure if a farmer came here, he'd happily lay you down on soil and plant crops over you if you don't wash up. You look like you'd make pretty good fertilizer."

Her eyes grew and her lips parted in surprise. Did she look _that_ bad? Though offended, she quickly though of a comeback at his witty remarks against her. "Thank you. And you look like you'd make good sushi for those who would wish to induce vomiting." Her tone was polite which only emphasized her sarcasm more. Talking to him didn't seem to be disturbing. In fact, by the comment he'd made earlier on her appearance, he'd shown her that there was no need to be afraid and somehow she bought it.

"I taste quite good," he said with a smirk. "Ask Samehada." Seeing her revolted reaction to what he'd just told her, he took it back as a joke. "Where'd blondie run of to?"

Her shoulders lifted as her head tilted. "I don't know. Maybe it was something I said," said Sakura. "He mentioned something about not having a birthday after eating and while he was doing the plates, he dropped one on the floor and after that, he just went sile—" She paused and realized what she was doing. She was talking to Kisame about Deidara like she needed counseling! "I really need to take a bath and refresh myself. The heat is getting to me."

Kisame got what she was thinking. Not that he didn't like it but talking to her like an old friend visiting from a province was just out of hand. "Need a quiet bath? There's a river that leads to a pool of water by a waterfall around these parts. Only Deidara and I know the place. It's quite far from the city and hidden too." Weird how he'd told her that like he was just stating directions to the nearest payphone.

"Thank you," she whispered. "I'll just find some way to deliver this to Konoha and—"

Kisame took the scroll from her, attempting to open it but she snatched it away from her. "I'm kidding, girly. I know someone who can carry this message to Konoha." He took it from her once more and stashed it inside his cloak. "And don't worry—any friend of the kid is a friend of mine. If he calls you a friend. Bah. Whatever he thinks of you, it will be the same for me."

He went to the kitchen while she remained seated. From the sound of it, she knew he was getting a glass of water. She took the chance to look to the glass window and examine her vague reflection. The window was a meter and a half away and she could hardly see her face but she could see that she really did look like shit.

"How… How exactly do I get to that place you were saying?" Her subconscious asked out loud without her even realizing it.

Kisame had emerged from the kitchen and leaned against the doorway. "Go straight ahead until you find a brook that has petals flowing along the current. Follow it to the left until you reach a cave. You'll find a dead end but it's just a large boulder. You can move it, you little amazon." He walked to get Samehada and slung it on his back. Before he stepped out, he reminded her of a few things. "Towels in the cabinet in the piss room. Keep your chakra hidden at all times so no one can follow you to our sanctuary."

"Where will you be going then?" She asked, jumping to her feet, excited about the bath waiting for her.

"To find that bastard who'll deliver your letter and I'm off to a short mission. I'll probably be back today if there are no hold-ups. Why? What are we having for dinner?" She wanted to throw the couch at him for acting like she was hoping on him coming back tonight. "I'm kidding. Oh yeah, before I forget, Deidara's probably out to cool his aggravated dick."

"Aggravated?"

"He's never had a birthday. They were poor and never had enough money to buy even a decent cake. They were all made from clay. He's touchy about the subject and I can understand why. The night he found his family dead was exactly a week before his birthday. The day he was officially recruited in Akatsuki was the day before his birthday. It's also his birthday 4 days later today. He's probably walking about in the forest, trying to let out his steam." He opened the door and bid her goodbye before closing it loudly behind him.

* * *

A bath, finally! As told, she got a towel from the wall cabinet in the bathroom and looked for the brook. It was easier than she thought it would be but following it was the hard part. It took forever to find the cave Kisame was talking about but she eventually got there. By the time she took a dip, she'd probably fall asleep in exhaustion.

The cave was small for someone like Kisame but she entered without difficulty. She found the dead end the shark mentioned and moved the big boulder aside with one hand.

As she moved it, the light shining through the gap grew bigger with every push. Finding that she was able to fit in the whole, she slipped her whole body in and pushed the boulder back in place. She looked at her feet for a moment, he sandals now hidden in the tall grass. Her eyes adjusted to the new brightness of the place.

Finally, she turned around and saw a beautiful paradise hidden in the forest. There was a small waterfall about 20 feet high. The water was blue and crystal clear, you can actually watch the plants underwater dance to the current. There were occasional appearances of fish and she was sure she heard a frog croak from somewhere along the bank.

It truly was quiet here and she had this place all to herself. She could do all the thinking she needed here. Quickly, she took off her clothes behind a big rock placed on the side of the pool of water and left her clothes and towel to lie on its mossy surface.

She crouched before the water, remembering to keep her chakra hidden, and scooped up enough water to wash her face. Crouching further, Sakura observed herself for a while on the water. Her hair was a mess and one splash of water on her face did not help at all. After making up her mind, she stepped into the water, letting her legs get used to the cool temperature, before she descended as a whole.

After washing herself, she leaned back against the one of the big rocks in the middle of the lake, concealing herself in the shadow of the thing from the heat of the sun. She moved away from the rock a bit, leaving just enough space for her to tilt her head back and soak her hair.

The first thing that had wandered into her mind was about what Kisame had told her about Deidara earlier. He'd never had a birthday? Not a real cake? Not even a celebration of a sort? Sakura was certain he'd at least had one but even she would count that out if she were just 5 or younger back then. Kisame knew of Deidara's birthday. Did that mean he had the concern to remember it? Or did he just pick it up from some random conversation they had before and stored it in his head unconsciously? No, they certainly talked about it. Even Deidara's back story, he knew. Maybe Deidara knows something about the shark too.

Deidara. He rea—

"FUCK THIS!" She heard a voice from somewhere in the small paradise. She startled and stood straight behind the rock and looked around cautiously, her eyes being the only thing moving besides her heart which was already racing.

Sakura was wrong about having the place to herself. There was someone else here and she was meters away from the bank where her clothes were! How come she didn't know it? Of course she didn't because Kisame said to keep their chakras masked when visiting this place to avoid any other visitors.

But if there were only three of them who knew about this place and one of them went out on a mission, that meant…

She heard the crunching noise of footsteps on leaves from somewhere on the waterfall's side. She peaked to see who it was and like she had guessed, it was Deidara! What she didn't expect was seeing him blond appeared from behind the waterfall and stayed underneath it and let the water fall above him.

Under the water, a school of fish certainly found her interesting and grouped themselves around her ankles. It didn't take long before she felt their scales slide through her ankles. She managed to hold the yelp in her throat. Unfortunately, Sakura, being too focused on the fish beneath her, did not anticipate the frog that leaped across her face to land on another pad. This time, she really did yell out in surprise.

Deidara came to his senses and looked around to see any sign of an intruder but all he saw was Sakura's clothes placed neatly on a rock. Wait… Sakura's clothes?

"S-Sakura?" He asked out loud.

Though he received no response, he was given a pretty picture that was forever going to be in his head—Sakura moved away from behind the rock and revealed her presence.

No one said a word. Probably because both of them were shocked to find one another in a place they thought was their own for a little while.

He looked at her and didn't even mind that she was looking back at him when he'd analyzed her body underwater. The water was clear enough to tell that Sakura wore nothing else but her pink flushed face in the water. Even from several feet away, he could see she was beautiful and even more so with her hair damp and clinging on her face. If only he had his scope with him. She could examine her even further and and see more of her perfection. Her face, hair, eyes and body—they were all a work of art, he knew.

Sakura didn't feel the least bit comfortable with Deidara looking at her like that especially when she reminded herself that the water was not just crystal clear but almost _transparent_. However, she couldn't bring herself to care—not when she was as fixed on his body built as she was now. With his hair loose from his usual look, she could see that they were long enough to reach his toned chest. But it wasn't his torso that caught her eye. It was the "v" right above the hem of his pants. They were well formed and very much defined. And with him standing underneath that waterfall while his hair clung on his body like wild vines and his very blue eyes fixed on her and nothing else, something inside her stirred. And when she realized that he was probably examining her the same way she did him, she felt something in the pit of her stomach.

Whether it was excitement or embarrassment, she wasn't really certain. But one thing was for sure, Deidara was definitely something else underneath his clothes. You would think he was just healthy and not so built as he was because he fought long range before but who knew?

He thought the same thing as well. For someone who had such brute strength, she sure was petite and was surely carved with curves in the right places. You wouldn't see much of her shape since her clothes are stretched and loose from all the movements she had to do.

After a moment of silence, Deidara finally hung his head and let the water fall on him for the last time before walking towards a tree where he had hung his shirt over a twig. How she did not notice it, he had no idea.

After putting on his sandals, he then moved to Sakura's clothes and picked them all up, including the towel—_his_ towel, of course—and walked towards her. He passed her the towel with a light toss and fortunately, she had good reflexes. He'd left her clothes on the bank near her and left the paradise.

It didn't take long before Sakura registered when had happened as she wiped herself dry and dressed up. Not once has anyone seen her naked since her toddler years! How embarrassing it was to have someone like Deidara to have the first look at her treasured body. She was going to stay in her room when she got back. _Definitely_.

* * *

Again, sorry for the super late update but I swear, from now on, I'll always be here. ;)


	9. More than Serendipity

**Hey, everyone. I'm planning on changing my username to NiKOpogs. Anyway, I'm sorry this took so long but I decided to make a longer-than-usual chapter to make myself more used to making longer chapters because my next fic might be longer than I expect it would be. **

**Anyway, enjoy this chapter. :)**

* * *

Shizune could not believe what she was reading at the moment. Yamato's team already reached the battlefield they were assigned to investigate an hour after the moon lit the sky. It was now in the middle of the night when a bird made of ink landed its talons on the bottom frame of the window in the archives. Tsunade had already gone back to her office due to her careless slip-up about the enormous pile of unread reports and papers that needed signing leaving the black-haired girl to work by herself.

She knew Yamato's team was assigned a double-time task, meaning they had to finish it in the shortest period of time possible, but she didn't expect them to act so quickly. She didn't have any doubts that this team did not even pause a minute to catch their breaths.

The black ink bird flew to her table and on top of a blank sheet of paper and melted into it. At first, it all looked like someone spilled an ink bottle on the paper but soon enough, the excess ink disappeared and letters were becoming visible.

_There is no body found in this site. _

_By-passers say that there have been two cloaked men around after the blast but none other with them which meant they too have not found Deidara's body._

_It may have been involved in the explosion but the field is clear of any sign of blood. No remains either._

_We will head for Konoha tomorrow morning. For now, we will be staying at the nearest village south of this area._

_Sai._

If Deidara's body was not Akatsuki, then where the hell was it? She considered the body being carried off by hunter nins for bounty but even she knew that the news of Deidara's body being returned to Iwa would reach Konoha even though the Stone and Leaf were not exactly allies. She then remembered what Kakashi had reported when they returned from their small vacation. Sakura had apparently _seen_ Deidara before Kisame caused a bit of commotion and before she disappeared.

_Kisame_. Why did he even pick a fight with Naruto and the others? Even without Itachi by his side to control and put him in place, Kisame was not _that_ naïve to randomly call out on anyone just to satisfy his blood thirst. Besides, she knew Akatsuki would only bother with people that were involved in their mission. And even though it was a jinchuuriki he had called out, she doubted he was in town because of Naruto. She knew he was there purely by coincidence because he didn't even know they were on vacation. Kisame was also alone, according to the reports. He must have known he wouldn't stand a chance against Naruto and his companions.

Something about all this seemed to form a puzzle but she didn't know where to put the right pieces. She might be overlooking something obvious or maybe she lacked the information needed to solve everything. She knew there was something lacking and that was the certainty of Deidara's existence.

But if he _were_ alive, he could possibly be traveling with Kisame who was in the same town as he was reportedly seen.

She didn't know what to think anymore. She's been in this room for about 6 hours now and she barely even had time for lunch. Though she wished to continue the research on Akatsuki's dead bodies, she wanted to call it a night.

And so she did as she switched out the lights and locked the archives.

* * *

Like she thought to herself earlier, Sakura did not leave the confinement of her given bedroom. She didn't even join the blond for dinner and refused to take a step outside until he was fast asleep in his own quarters. She was just lying still on the old mattress of the bed, thinking about today.

What happened earlier in the lake was inappropriate and downright embarrassing—especially on her part since she was naked and was practically standing on transparent liquid in front of him. She didn't think she would be able to look at him the same anymore. Recalling the memory of his eyes burning her as a whole, it made seeing him more unbearable. Maybe she should just leave.

No, she couldn't possibly do that. As much as she didn't like the situation, she was too much of a compassionate person to leave Deidara here and she hated that about herself. She should at least heal him as a consolation for choosing _not_ to go back to Akatsuki.

Finally decided, she crept down the stairs, knowing that Deidara was most likely in his room by now because just half an hour ago, she heard a door shut. She made no sound as she entered the kitchen. Her hands searched for the light switch near the doorway and flicked it open. There was a bowl left in the middle of the dining table covered by a plate. Deidara probably had a hunch that she would eventually get hungry and left out some food for her. She hurried eating and finished cleaning the dishes.

As she led herself upstairs, she begun thinking about running off in the late night back to her village after healing him as if nothing happened—as if she had never seen Deidara and had never interacted with him or Kisame.

Finally reaching the second floor of the clay house, she stood in front of Deidara's door with one hand on the knob and the other prepared to knock on his door. Before she could even muster the courage to make a sound on the door, another one closed from along the hallway. Her head turned to the right and saw Deidara who had just come out of the bathroom.

"You need something?" Deidara asked, looking at her with a raised eyebrow and a smirk.

None of them had forgotten what happened several hours ago, that she knew. And it wasn't at all amazing when she picked up the hint that he wanted to move on from it and just get on with their lives.

She let her hands fall to her sides and gave a weak smile as she spoke. "I was thinking while I was eating—"

"So you _ate_ after all."

A small nod was the only answer he received. She continued, "You mentioned your injuries?"

"Yeah, they're not much to heal but they definitely affect my movements," he stated, moving his arm slightly to emphasize the last word. "Maybe you can start healing them tomorrow morning?"

She shook her head at him. "I sort of had plans for tomorrow morning," mumbled the cherry. He narrowed his eyes on her, asking her to explain where she was going. "I'm going to town a bit. It gets too stuffy in this place. But you don't need to worry about me. I don't have any intentions of running away." _Not until I heal those injuries, I don't. _

"I'll come with you."

There was no point in arguing. She knew this man trusted her as much as she trusted him but even she wouldn't let him go out alone in a town if she were in his position. Giving him an approving nod, she walked past him, whispering him a _goodnight_, and finally slamming the door behind her.

Deidara waited until she closed the door before entering his own room. There, he had taken off his top and tossed it to his bed and studied his scars in front of the mirror. He had a few on his shoulders but only a few inches long. He had a large on down his back and he didn't even know where the hell that came from. And finally, he gathered his hair to his back with one hand, revealing a scar about 4-inches on his chest, and traced it with his free hand. This, he definitely knew the cause.

After one last look at his scar, he pulled on the shirt he had thrown aside earlier and sat on the edge of the bed. When he wakes up tomorrow, there were going to be only three days left until his birthday. He didn't like celebrating it. He wouldn't know how but somehow, a part of him hoped that the girl would stay with him until then.

He mentally slapped himself at the thought and remembered what Kisame had told him today. _Be careful not to fall for those green eyes again_. What the hell did that shark-face even mean about that? He'd never fallen in love with her before. At least he think he didn't.

The first time he'd found out that she was the one who killed his partner, he was devastated. _That medic kunoichi who was always behind Naruto_, as they acknowledged her, killed Sasori of the Sand, the master of puppets. He'd never seen her up close. His primary clue on her appearance was her pink hair and her clothes. The first time he'd studied her face was when he and Kisame first met in the rain.

()

_Within his cloak, he concealed a Bingo book that he'd recently retrieved from a hunter nin who was apparently on his tail for about a week. He flipped through the pages as he was narrating his most recent encounter with with an infamous nin. He scanned the book for the image of the shinobi he'd been telling the blonde about and presented the photo to him._

_Deidara's eyes widened though it wasn't Kisame's point that surprised him. On the other leaf of the book was a photo of a coral-pink haired kunoichi he'd recognized from some time ago and the name written in the description confirmed his guess. He pulled the book away from Kisame and studied her features. There was fury that raged inside of him but he was overwhelmed by her striking green eyes to even remember that she was the reason he'd been put together with Tobi._

_From experience and as an old man, Kisame could clearly distinguish the look in his eyes. "See something you fancy, boy?" He stared at the photo longer than necessary. Kisame didn't even think that his new companion heard his smug question. Deidara merely continued to observe her photo, as if caught up in the green pools printed on the page. "Mesmerizing, right?"_

"_Yeah," he said then suddenly catching his tongue. He shot Kisame a startled look and then his face shifted into a confused one. "Excuse me, what?"_

"_No need to deny it, boy," he chuckled. "Even I found her a bit interesting during our latest encounter. Even Itachi, before he died, talked about her at some point after finding out about her training under Tsunade's supervision." The younger man turned back to the photo. "Is it your first time seeing her up close or what?"_

_Deidara shook his head faintly. "I saw her before but not her—"_

"_Eyes?"_

"_Yeah," and again, Deidara caught himself. He snapped the Bingo book shut and threw it back at Kisame with a toss. "Let's not talk about this, please? She's the reason I got stuck with Tobi."_

_Kisame shrugged. "Whatever. Just remember that when I bring it up again, you can't deny that you actually found her attractive," he said with a smug expression. "And add the fact that she's Tsunade's student, she can smash a whole boulder with her bare fists and oh, let's not forget that she killed your freaky puppet partner. For a kunoichi, that's pretty far-out. And, to add to those facts, she's a medic—similar to a nurse so—"_

_Deidara looked at him, quickly picking up his meaning and his face turned into a disgusted expression. "Kisame, you're despicable." The man with the stranger complexion only laughed at his understatement and told him that whatever was dancing in Deidara's mind made him just as despicable as him._

()

The next day, Deidara headed straight for the kitchen. Surprisingly, Sakura had gotten up earlier before him and had brewed herself a cup of coffee. She smiled at him faintly as a silent greeting and went back to her warm drink, her eyes never leaving his. She could see he was studying her and she let him though she was fairly curious as to why he'd developed a sudden interest in her today.

He unconsciously stared hard on her eyes, absorbing every ounce of her spirit of that they gave away. Her eyes, like the first time he'd noted them, were really striking especially now that she was sitting before him. He imagined what they'd be like if she were any closer.

When he was first blown away by her jade orbs, it was when he saw her picture in the Bingo book. Her expression firm as can be but her eyes, even though it was just a photo, gave so much away about her. Her expression was calm hard, her jaws clearly clenched, and her eyes were looking right at whoever shot the photo. He immediately sensed determination, fury and a hint of pain and fear in the background. He didn't know where he got all that and the reason he'd spent so much time looking at her photo was to confirm the feelings her eyes failed to conceal—at least to him. He asked the heavens how the hell he got those ideas from a mere photo.

But what he had thought before was true. She had a lot hiding behind her jaded eyes and there was much more pain than he'd thought beforehand. He could see it now although she was about three meters away from him. His expression went from observant to soft and she saw it.

"Something wrong?" She finally asked, bothered that he seemed troubled just by looking at her.

Her voice brought his head back into the kitchen. He avoided her gaze to prevent himself from trying to analyze her more because the more he tried to grab the puzzle pieces, the more curious he was of the image it would form. He didn't want to know what she's been through. He already had his share of troubles and he didn't need to learn more but something about her just needed to be released. It was like she's been hiding some greater deal of problems within her and her eyes were just screaming to let the feelings out but she couldn't.

He shuffled around the pantry and looked for something he was up for munching this morning. "Nothing," he said, rummaging through the cupboard. He felt her eyes on him. She was watching and she probably knew that he knew. He turned around to meet her eyes and asked in the same tune she had. "Something wrong?"

Finishing the cup of coffee, she got to her feet and washed the cup in the sink beside him. "Not much. I was just trying to see if your wounds really did affect your movements." She absently had her shoulder brushing against his arm because the cupboard he'd been reaching for earlier was almost overhead the sink. She turned off the faucet and placed the cup on the dish dryer and placed both hands on the sink. "They actually do and in more ways you didn't notice."

"Hm? In what ways then, doctor?"

Sakura brushed off the last word but the side of her lips sank into a frown. She didn't like being called a doctor since she wasn't trained to be one—she was a shinobi. She moved back to the chair, continuing her explanation. "You probably know that you can't stretch your right arm as high as your left arm and that's why you use your right arm to look for something edible in that cabinet, right?" A firm nod. "But you probably don't know that you keep your back arched a little so as to not stretch or strain a scar too much. And you may be used to it since you don't even notice how straight you stand most of the time. I'm guessing there's a scar on your back then?"

"A large one," he answered, reaching for the loaf of bread before he closed the cupboard and sat on the chair beside her.

She nodded then looked away into the window he had snuck out of yesterday. "Anymore scars other than your back, shoulders and arms?"

"There's one on my leg but it was from a long time ago, yeah." He paused a moment, as if remembering how he'd gotten it. She could have sworn she saw his eyes darken a little but she didn't confirm it because he had begun speaking once more. "I've got one on my chest."

Her head turned to him, her eyes magnetized on his chest. It was the first time she'd noticed that he was wearing a shirt with neckline reaching near the end of his shoulders and exposed the upper half of his chest underneath the mesh tank. "Can I… Can I see it? The scar on your chest?"

He didn't think twice about it. In fact, he didn't think about it at all. He merely pulled the left side of the neckline of his shirt lower to show him that he had a scar—just right over his heart. And it seemed like something was stuck on his chest and detonated because of the burn marks—

Oh god. That was it, wasn't it? The reason he'd died before was because of this?

"Was this the one—?"

In the corner of her eye, she saw him smirk. "Yep. The most beautiful thing I've ever made in my life. It may have cost me my life but it was great and considering that I'm still alive to remember every precious second of my art, it's even greater because of the memory I have of it. It would have been far better if I succeeded in my goal though." He stopped, realizing he had just reminded her that he almost killed Sasuke who was now her teammate again.

She knew why he had pulled back his tongue but she didn't mind. Sasuke was alive, wasn't he? And so was Deidara.

She didn't realize it but her hand was about to reach out and touch the remainder of his art but she stopped midway and placed her hands in between her knees and squeezed them so as to prevent them from doing so again.

He pretended not to notice what she had almost done and turned to the wall clock. "It's almost 8 o'clock. We should get going so we can reach Byakurai before the sun toasts us up, yeah." He pulled out a slice of bread and stuck it between his lips. After returning the loaf in the cupboard, he munched down on his breakfast as he made his way back upstairs.

A door shut and the sound of the shower turning on sounded in the house. It was too peaceful in there to not hear things that made images run through her mind—images of him under that shower. Images of his wet hair dripping on his chest and down to his—

Someone knocked on the door and apparently, Deidara heard it too because the running water from the second floor seemed to have stopped. She answered the door and wasn't at all surprised to see Kisame there.

"Good morning, pinky." He grinned. "And may I say, you don't like shit anymore." He stepped forward and entered the house without even closing the door. Typical. "Where's the kid?" Asked Kisame as he set Samehada where he had placed him yesterday.

She pointed to the second floor. "He's taking a bath. And might I say, shark-face, your complexion is looking bluer and bluer by the day. That must be good for you, right? Healthy and not turning scarily grey."

Kisame frowned. "I never turn grey. I don't turn into a zombie who patches up his body parts after being brutally ripped off. No, that's Kakuzu. Akatsuki's Frankenstein," then he laughed as if he had remembered a funny encounter with the member he'd been pointing out. Sakura looked at him, slightly amused at his not-so-shocking sense of humor. "I had your letter delivered to Konoha last night. It should arrive there today past noon."

She didn't know how Akatsuki moved so fast. She knew that she was miles away from home and yet Kisame was positive her letter would arrive overnight. Fair enough. She didn't even know how long it took for them to travel from the previous town to this place.

They heard steps on the stairs and both of them turned to see who it was. No doubt, it was Deidara but Sakura just had to turn away and forced herself to find the front door interesting when she'd seen him climb down the stairs in nothing but his bath towel hanging dangerously loose around his hip. "For crying out loud," Deidara groaned when he saw Kisame and marched right back up.

A couple of minutes drove by and Deidara went back down, fully clothed, and threw Sakura a change of clothes and a towel. She looked at him, puzzled. "You don't want to smell like clay before we go to town, do you? Yeah."

She was reluctant to even think of washing up in his bathroom where he had just been. Under that shower, he must have been as magnificent as he was under the falls. With water dropping on his skin delicately and trailing down on his torso. She could see him in her head, tilting his chin up to catch the droplets on his face, looking serene with his eyes closed and—

"Yeah, I could really use a good shower right now," she said as she met his gaze as he looked at her like he could actually see what was running through her mind. That was impossible though. Though his eyes were extraordinary, she knew they could do nothing out of the ordinary—except, of course, leave her hypnotized and lost, which shouldn't be natural for her. She should really lock herself in that bathroom until she gets her mind back from wherever it was wandering right now or who knows what other thought might enter her head.

Almost hurriedly, she walked upstairs and as she slammed the door behind her, she remembered to hit the lock. With her back against, the door, she sank to the floor and observed the pieces of clothing in her hand. Obviously, they were his. She shouldn't have a problem with his shirt. She was used to wearing loose clothing. What worried her was the pair of pants he'd lent to her. She unfolded the pants and to her delight, there was a string on the waist so she could tighten them.

The pants suddenly became a reminder of yesterday's incident. This pair had a close resemblance to what he'd been wearing when he came out from behind the falls. Only, this was charcoal grey while those he wore were grape violet and almost black.

God, what was with her and her head? What had yesterday done to her? Before she tucked herself in last night, he was the last thought on her head. When she'd waken up earlier today, he was the first thing to come to mind. Seriously, she should just leave this place before she even attempted to figure out how and why he messed her up like he did. There were things she was afraid of realizing and afraid of knowing.

Finally, she got back on her feet and her head calmed a little. She left the clothes hanging on the towel rack along with the cotton cloth he'd handed to her with his clothes. Carefully, she stepped into the shower and turned the knob, letting the cool morning water run down on her body.

Meanwhile, downstairs, Kisame and Deidara had heard the water beginning to run. The shark was first to break the silence between him and his obviously irritated friend.

"What are you scowling for?" He smirked, asking the question. "Did she get rid of your scars yet?" Deidara shook his head. "No? Well—"

"Why the hell did you tell her about that place?" The younger man snapped at him. Kisame's smirk grew and he suddenly had this desire to know what had happened yesterday to agitate the blonde early in the morning. And Deidara was eager enough to tell him what happened. Well, not exactly eager but he was willing to tell the tale without a request from the shark. "I was there, minding my own business, in the cave behind the falls. I was sitting there when this beetle bit me. When I came out of the cave to wash the bite, she was… There." As he said the last word, his tone softened a bit. The memory of seeing her like that was… Well, he didn't know if there was an appropriate word to describe that moment and memory.

Her pale skin looked even paler underwater. Her pink hair seemed darker when wet but one thing that didn't seem to change was the pair of eyes that never strayed from sea green. Those eyes, from afar, seemed to hold nothing but determination and faith in oneself. But up close, he could see the invisible tears caused by everything that had happened to her because of her choice to become a kunoichi. There were things she'd seen, done and known that wrecked her without her knowledge. He knew that well because it was only when he had lived again when he realized everything he'd done during his time in Akatsuki.

"Deidara, you like her, don't you?" Kisame asked in a tone that reminded Deidara of a teasing school girl. The giant man did not drop his smug expression even after being shot a _knock-it-off_ look. "Look, it's either you like her or you don't and you can't tell me that it's the latter choice because it's impossible not to like her. I'm quite fond of her, really. She's fun to kid around with. Besides, what's wrong with admitting you like the girl?" The blond rolled his eyes, acknowledging that there was more meaning to what he had been told.

The explosives pioneer slumped back on the couch and had a hand massage his temples. Really, he didn't know just what to do with the swordsman. Without looking at him, Deidara coldly yet playfully commanded him, "Man, get out of my house."

Kisame snickered in his mind, enjoying his little mock on the blond. "Kid, if you fell in love with the girl again—"

"I didn't, okay?"

The older wasn't taken aback by Deidara's feisty snap at him. He brushed it off with a shrug. "If you say so, kid." Kisame sighed. "But eyes are not the most significant, though. It's the hands that you need to learn about and that you need to be careful of. If the girly's hands are rough, surely, there's one heck of a story behind it. Hands tell you more."

"I'll remember that." Deidara replied, his face lightening up a bit but suddenly falling into a frown once more. "Now, get out, old man. Don't you have a mission to get on with or something?"

Kisame gave a negative shake. "I just came back from my mission on the border. I just need to report to Pein now. And I should probably get going before ring-eyes gets any suspicious." He rose from the couch and started towards his sword. After slinging it onto his back, he was ready to go. "Maybe I'll pass by here tonight and we can have a drink. Invite the girl if you want."

"No drinking this time for me, shark-butt."

The elder of the two huffed and smirked at Deidara before leaving the clay house. Deidara knew he had little time left when the running water stopped and a door from the second floor opened and shut close shortly after. With a sigh, he got to his feet and grabbed the cloaks from underneath the stairs and readied them on the couch.

* * *

Naruto, Kakashi and Sasuke had been summoned to see the Hokage in half an hour. The sun that was glaring at them mercilessly was now nearing its highest point of the day but Naruto didn't seem to be bothered by the heat. He was even draining down on a hot bowl of ramen at Ichiraku's when Kakashi arrived to look for him.

He patted Naruto on the shoulder and shook his head when he saw that Naruto didn't seem to realize his attention was being called for. "Oi, Naruto," Kakashi called in his usual laid-back voice. "Tsunade wants to see us."

The blond stopped eating and looked straight at Kakashi. "Any word from her?"

The Copy Nin's firm nod was all he needed to stop him from eating the bowl as well. He slapped his payment on the counter and thanked the old man who had always graced him with his ramen. Naruto had taken the lead and led Kakashi on the rooftops. Finally, some news about Sakura.

They both landed outside Tsunade's office window and knocked. It turns out that Sasuke was there as well and it was convenient for Kakashi since he'd been looking for him all noon. Maybe the word had gotten to Sasuke before it did to him. But then again, he'd always been late for things like this. He just managed to drag Naruto along with him this time.

"Sakura sent this letter to us by air mail," she said, immediately going to her point as she handed the eldest the scroll. "Weirdly enough, Sakura has no jutsu to control the bird that was used to send this letter. It was a to-fro bird. It sends a message _to_ us and needs to go back to its owner so we naturally need a reply to this letter to return the bird to whoever its owner is. We also have no lock on Sakura's location so it's best to use this bird."

All three of the summoned shinobis listened tentatively while Kakashi opened the scroll to read the contents. It wasn't hidden in Leaf encryption. It was simply a letter so it's a huge possibility that Sakura is far from harm's way.

_Tsunade-sama,_

_Please be informed that I am safe and I am in another country. Please also send my apologies to Team 7 for taking off unexpectedly. Though I heard a commotion in town, there was a thief in my room at the same moment, trying to steal my pouch which contained the kunai you've gifted me after completing my training. After chasing him, I ran by an old friend who wanted to catch up. Since the commotion was over, I agreed and by the time I got back, Team 7 had left. I'm staying with my friend for a few days. Please excuse me if the letter is received late._

_Apologies for taking of without permission._

_H. Sakura._

Something about this didn't seem right to Kakashi. Sakura wrote formally though she would only right in such a manner when she was writing an encryption somewhere around the second or higher level. Usually, she'd tell them where she was, exactly how she'd take and with whom she was. But the letter was vague.

_In another country… A few days… An old friend…_ None of them were specifics! But of course, he wouldn't tell the Hokage that. She'd already been suspicious enough because of the bird that brought the message. He didn't want Tsunade to doubt her own student and so before she would report to her shishou when she gets back, she would have to answer to Kakashi first and foremost.

He looked up from the letter, noticing that Tsunade had been watching him warily. "Well?" Her eyes narrowed down on him. "What do you make of the letter?"

"She's fine, Godaime-sama. I can tell," lied the Copy Nin. "Would you like us to write a reply or—"

"No need, Kakashi. I shall write the letter myself and send it back to her," she stated as her hand reached for a pen. "In the meanwhile, until I call for you again, ready yourselves because I will send you to look for Sakura."

Sasuke was calm about everything, like usual. But as for Naruto, he didn't understand why Tsunade was still sending them. "But Kakashi said she was fine—"

"Naruto, if you're a ninja then why don't you look underneath the underneath?" Tsunade snapped at him. "It isn't like Sakura to take off like this! You're looking for her and bringing her back here, understood? I won't ask any unnecessary questions because I don't like interrogating my own student. As long as she's in the village, I will be fine with her."

Kakashi needn't say more because it looked like the Hokage had her own reasons to doubt the situation. She was right though. Sakura isn't the type to suddenly leave when she felt like it. She couldn't leave the hospital to go home without even asking permission from Shizune. Something was definitely amiss and he didn't know if he wanted to find out what was going on. He wasn't even sure if Tsunade wanted to know.

* * *

It was a good thing the restaurant they had entered was air-conditioned and well kept because Sakura felt like falling on the ground while they made their way here. It was hot and it made her wonder how she survived in Deidara's house when there was not a single sign of air-conditioning in there.

After the two of them had ordered, they both started on their meals, Sakura being ahead of Deidara since she was much more tired than he was.

Deidara asked him about the letter she'd written since he wasn't around to actually reread it before she sent it. She told him about the fake theft she'd written down. He had his undivided attention on her, listening carefully to every word that slipped out of her mouth. What caught his interest the most was the kunai she'd mentioned.

"It's a gift from Tsunade-shishou," she started, smiling as she began to reminisce. She missed the village and it's only been a few days since she'd gone. "She got it made for me a week before she said my training was complete. When I looked at it, it was tragically beautiful." She held out both palms near her chest as if mimicking her appearance when she first looked at the kunai. Her face was pleasant and she had a faintest smile across her lips. "Its details are very elaborate. Every curve, every turn. It was sad that something so beautiful was created and meant to be stained with blood."

Deidara understood. His art was the same way though by the time the blood oozes out of the victim, his art had already exploded. Destruction caused by his art to him was art. But that was something he knew Sakura would never understand. Medic nins were supposed to be gentle and compassionate and she wouldn't get how he found his destruction such wonderful art.

She took the napkin from the table and wiped the corners of her mouth. He noticed the delicacy of her actions and took notice of her hands, like Kisame had told him. They looked soft, untainted and clean. Despite being under the Amazon-like sannin, she looked so lady-like while wiping herself clean like that. But he knew that wasn't true. She killed her partner. That was more than enough to tell him that she was so much more than what people would think she is.

She pushed herself from the table and Deidara was about to follow to but she stopped him. "Please, stay. I just have to look for something real quick in town and then I'll come back."

_You better_, he thought to himself as his eyes followed after Sakura while she walked to exit the restaurant.

Walking out of the restaurant might have been a mistake because after two minutes of walking around town, she found herself sweating like a pig. She passed by an ornament shop. From first look, she knew it had air-conditioning because the old woman didn't look like she was sweating to death. After wiping her forehead with the back of her hand, she walked toward the shop and entered. A small bell rang above her as she opened the door.

"Good afternoon, dear," the old woman in the shop greeted her. She looked not a day under 40 and she was small and looked even smaller because she was crouching. "Would you like a tissue or a small towel to wipe off the evidence of heat, dear? You look very exhausted from the heat. What brings you in our shop, dear?"

She smiled at the old woman's hospitality. "No thanks. I'm looking for a gift. For someone who's never received them before and he—"

"Ah, a special someone, I see," interrupted the small woman. "I have a few chimes in here. Pleasant music, the sound of chimes. Eases you a bit even when the person entering isn't exactly someone you like. I'm not talking about you though, dear. Would you like a little figurine? We've got it all from angels to zebras."

The little lady went on and on about the items that were displayed all over the small of the store. Sakura kept smiling but was looking for something in particular. She didn't know what just yet. And as she rounded the corner on one aisle, she definitely saw something no one would ever come to dislike—at least not in Konoha. Snow globes. Tons of them.

One that specifically caught her eye was a snow globe, unusually bigger than the rest, whose dome contained a white town house which reminded her of Deidara's clay house. A miniature snowman had been placed in front of the house and a black dog which was positioned to seem like he was playing in the snow. She crouched down until the she was eye level on the surface the snow globe was on and read the words carved on the white porcelain outerbase. A smile unconsciously brightened up her face when she was reminded of Deidara when she had read the word _serendipity_.

She reached out and held it in both hands as it was too big for one hand. Sakura watched the white particles fall to the bottom after giving it a gentle shake.

"So you like that little piece?" The old woman ask, her face brightening up as well at the customer's interest. "It's my favorite of all the globes. Just looking at it makes me feel relaxed. The white house, the white snow and the pearly porcelain... My husband made it and it's his favorite piece too."

Sakura listened as she watched the final snowflake fall to the ground. She returned it to where she had found it and turned to the woman. "Must be really expensive if the both of you found it really great. How much is it?"

The storekeeper shook her head and chuckled under her breath. "Oh no, dear. Actually, it's the cheapest one of the snow globes," she remarked as she took the snow globe from its place and headed to the counter. "Smaller globes are usually harder to make, says my husband. Getting the details just right is more difficult. This, my dear, is the last piece. There were only two of these and the other one was sold a long time ago."

"To whom did you sell it to?" She pulled her wallet out, secretly hoping she had enough money to pay for it.

The old woman behind the counter made a receipt as she answered. "I bought it for my husband when he had died. The house he used for a model was our house in the woods. We made that house together and made lots of memories in it. You want it gift wrapped, dear?"

"Oh, very much, yes," she answered with relief because she almost forgot that it was supposed to be a gift for Deidara. "I'm really sorry to hear about your husband."

"It's fine," she said like Sakura had just dropped a pen. There was neither pain nor regret in her voice. She was perfectly happy from what Sakura could interpret. "It's our life, isn't it? There are people who leave and people who get left behind. But one thing I'm certain of; it was more than serendipity when he found me lost in the woods when he was looking for firewood. He used to tell me that he was lucky to have found me that night but I always told him that it wasn't a matter of luck. It was destiny." She then handed the box where she stored the globe and handed it to Sakura over the counter after it had been gift wrapped. "Well, there you go, dear. Thank you for coming and thank you for listening to an old hag like me. Usually, customers just come in here, ignore me and buy whatever they want, not even wanting to here the story of why my husband made it. And dear, you don't have to pay me. Just by listening to my story is enough payment."

"But I have to at least—" She cut herself off when she saw the soft look on the old woman's face. "Thank you." Sakura pulled the box with care and locked it in her arms as she looked around the shop. Hundreds of decorations, all detailed yet looked very simple from afar. "So, you mean all these are—"

"Yes, miss. Every single item has its own story behind them. The door chimes my husband made? He made those for me because the sound relaxes me. Because he had a lot of friends coming over, he knew I might get mad at some point and so he put it on the door and every time a guest comes in, I simply brush of my irritation." She looked around as well. "All these memories," she whispered, "will lessen as time comes until they're all gone. And when all these have disappeared, I will close the shop and retire."

Again, another smile from the younger woman. She felt very sorry for the widow. She ran the shop all alone, nothing to accompany her but the memories and creations of her late husband. Stories about the two of them filled the place and now that she thought about it, the atmosphere of the shop was almost really sad and the only thing around that was happy was the storekeeper.

"Good luck on your shop," she said before bidding the old woman a silent goodbye.

On her way back to the restaurant, she thought about what the woman said—about him finding her being more than just luck. What if things were like that for her and Deidara? What if the room in the inn he'd stayed in before was really meant for her to pick? Kakashi made her pick a room and she picked 14 because it was the smallest. Did she really pick that room for that reason or just because? Did he really leave his necklace in the drawer by accident or was there a more powerful force that made him forget about it?

Really? Was she thinking about this? About him? Seriously? The heat was probably getting into her head. She had to return to the restaurant at once.

Just when she was about to pick up her pace, she passed by the bookshop which was just being opened by the owner, Dino.

"Opening up late is not really good for your business," she started. When the dark haired man turned around, he smiled and seemed very happy to see her again. She continued, "But then again, you seldom get customers, don't you?"

"Well, good afternoon to you too, miss," he chuckled. Dino pushed the door open and gestured. "Would you like to keep me company for a while? I could really use someone to talk to."

She rolled her eyes, completely forgetting that she came in town with Deidara. She smiled as passed by Dino and entered the dark and cramped shop. Dino followed shortly after.

It was hard not to brush his chest on her shoulder since the shop was so small and there was more mess in the shop than yesterday. She liked the unintended contact though. His scent lingered on her longer than she thought and it was not easy to seek for his manly scent. She followed in after him and stayed in front of the counter while Dino crawled out the back and found the switch for the whole store.

"Isn't it inconvenient of the switch of the whole store to be located in the back?" Sakura asked, her voice a little louder. "

Dino came out of the back and began picking up some of the books scattered on the floor. He started explaining as to why everything in this shop was in their place though it was confusing. Sakura settled the box of the snow globe on the counter and lent a hand in picking up the other items on the floor. He shared stories about his customers and how he'd fallen in love with one of them before but she died of pneumonia.

After cleaning up most of the mess in the bookshop, Dino sat behind the counter and offered Sakura a chair to sit beside him. He asked about the box she'd been hugging earlier when they met.

"It's a gift," she briefly explained. "It's a snow globe for that person I came here with yesterday. But I don't know how to hide it from him. I mean, I can't walk home while hugging it when it's obviously a gift," explained Sakura while tracing the blue tribal designs on a white background of the wrapper.

He shrugged. "Maybe I can keep it for you and you come back for it when you need it. Sound good to you?"

"Deal," she said with a nod.

Dino took the box in his hands and kept it in a safe place at the back, making sure it wasn't going to fall and nothing was going to fall on it. When he returned beside Sakura and they resumed the chitchat.

()

Deidara was getting annoyed. It's been at least half an hour since she'd left him in the restaurant. Where was she and what was she up to right now? She said she'd return but he wasn't so sure he had any patience left in him to wait for her any longer. What reason could she have to want to walk around town? It wasn't like she was out for an after-meal stroll. It was 40 degrees outside. Finally fed up, he slammed his payment on the counter and left the restaurant without a word, not forgetting to shut the door loudly behind him.

When he stepped outside, he looked around and there was no sign of Sakura. Where was she? As he started to walk, his eyes kept searching, hoping to find his pink-haired companion. Instead, he found something else—the sign of the bookshop. He didn't know why he had the sense to look for her there but somehow, though it was just his intuition, he had a feeling in his gut but it didn't at all feel too good.

Deidara finally reached the window of the shop and looked inside. The sight of a laughing Sakura beside the shopkeeper enlightened. He'd never seen her like that but watching her right now, her unheard laughs rang in his head… But it wasn't enough to overcome the fact that his blood was boiling. She left the restaurant to come to this place and talk to that guy. He marched immediately in the shop.

She startled at the sound of the door banging against the wall. Realizing that she'd been talking to Dino for some time while Deidara was on the doorway, it explained so much as to why he looked like he was going to bite someone's head off. She completely forgot that she came in town with Deidara and she'd left him alone in the restaurant.

She walked from behind the counter and approached him, her expression apologetic. But it didn't seem to have any effect on Deidara. He didn't even look at her—he was glaring at Dino who, at the moment, was frozen surprised on his seat. He turned away from him with one last frown and exited the shop, grabbing her wrist in a bruising grip as he pulled her out of there and to the exit of the village.

Upon reaching the exit, she yelled at him to let her go since she got the idea that they were leaving already. Deidara dropped her hand with some force and didn't even bother to look back.

He was mad. He was furious. He shouldn't have offered to come with her. If only he knew she'd only come in town to find that guy, he would have left her alone to flirt with that lowlife. But no, he had to be a gentleman and kind man to offer to escort her to town. It wasn't about the hostage-thing anymore. If it was, he wouldn't be feeling this. What was this feeling, anyway?

Seeing her laugh like that when it wasn't him who made her laugh, it enraged him. Come to think of it, he's probably never seen her laugh until today. But he still hasn't heard her laugh all the while. Dino was a lucky man to have heard such a violent yet deeply-troubled kunoichi laugh. Deidara had a hunch that Sakura would never laugh in front of him. He was jealous of Dino who was capable of even getting a giggle out of her.

That was it, wasn't it? Jealousy? No. It couldn't be. Why would he be jealous? It wasn't as if he liked her more than Kisame does… Does he?

* * *

Sasuke was now packing his bag, getting ready for their journey to Kawa no Onsen Machi tonight. From that town, they would track down Sakura's scent and follow it. He wouldn't admit it out loud or to anyone but he was worried for Sakura too. Even more so than Kakashi was, he was confident.

Sakura had improved over the years and he couldn't hide his impression on her the first time they trained in Konoha since he got back. He was supposed to challenge Naruto but Sasuke was unfortunate to get the short end of the stick. He didn't know why fighting Sakura in taijutsu would be unlucky until she advanced towards him, her fist surely aiming for his ribs. He was just in time to tumble sidewards while she continued to advance towards the tree behind him. When her fist hit the trunk, a dozen other trees followed and collapsed due to her enormous chakra impact.

He knew how valuable a kunoichi she is to Konoha and he would do anything to get her back—back beside him.

If only he knew she'd be this powerful someday, he might have taken her with him when he left the village. But that didn't seem right, even now. He didn't want anyone he knew dragged in this mess and mostly, he didn't want to take her with him because he was already too attached with Team 7 and he needn't a reminder of his home tagging along with him when his goal was to let his hate grow.

Someone rapped on his apartment door, bringing him away from his deep thinking. He opened the door only to see Kakashi standing on the doorway. The way Kakashi looked at Sasuke, it made him feel like he was a twelve-year-old in trouble.

"Sasuke, we need to talk about Deidara."


	10. Thoughts Preferred Unheard

**Hey, guys. I finally updated again. Sorry it takes so long but I just have a lot of school works that needed to be done and I haven't even finished half of them. I plan on skipping on the campus tour today and going back home earlier. I really could use the rest since I couldn't sleep since 3 am because of the power trip we had.**

**Anyway, irrelevant as that was, enjoy the next chapter. It's a bit overdramatic but I had nothing better in mind at the moment and I didn't want you guys to get bored. R&R. :)**

* * *

The silence hung heavy around the dimly lit kitchen. Not a peep out of Deidara the whole way home. Sakura's voice had been heard but only when she was telling him to slow down because she couldn't catch up to his brisk walking. And now, at dinner, Kisame had joined them. He and Sakura exchanged humorous tales about their missions and threw inoffensive yet witty insults at one another. And until now, Deidara's voice remained in his throat while Sakura—who was obviously trying her best to ignore the brooding blonde adjacent to her—and the shark enjoyed their exchange of stories.

He couldn't eat properly too. The reason he'd kept his mouth shut until now is because he didn't really know how to explain why he pulled her out of the bookshop with rage. It was a good thing she hadn't asked as well. Maybe she knew he didn't want to talk about it that's why she never brought it up. Or maybe he'd just startled her too much with his anger and she didn't want to talk to him at all for the rest of the day. Either way was acceptable—as long as she wasn't intrigued by the cause of all that.

He was jealous. He would never admit it to her or the shark but he sure could admit it to himself and all because he knew there was no one who could hear his thoughts right now. His companions were busy talking to even notice the deep-in-thought look face he'd made since the beginning of the meal.

He was oozing green with jealous because that Dino-guy had made her laugh and he couldn't—not that he could remember. And if he did ever make her laugh before, she was probably doing so half-heartedly. No one liked being kept hostage even if the authority assigned was as lenient as he was so it wasn't such a blur to him as to why he'd never seen Sakura laugh like she did with the brunet. Sure, Kisame was making her laugh right now but that was a different story.

Dino, he was as good-looking as he gets and he could see the first time they'd stepped in that shop that the guy obviously had an eye for exotic beauty. But what he'd noted back earlier was how Dino searched for her curves under the thick of her—technically _his_—cloak. The guy was a dick for not even letting his eyes linger on her precious emerald orbs for at least ten seconds.

Sakura laughed, her eyes creasing as she looked to Deidara from the corner of her eye. He'd been like that since they left town. Kisame barged in without even bothering to warn them and it was fortunate for them—for Sakura, anyway.

He was mad at some diplomat slash collector who'd been eyeing Samehada ever since they began negotiating. Apparently, the guy planned on killing Kisame and taking the sword as an addition to his collection. And apparently, Kisame tended to be a little touchy when it came to his precious chakra-consuming weapon. Of course, he killed the guy and his subordinates in an instant and ran all the way back here, hoping Deidara had something for him to run his sword through other than Sakura and the explosives pioneer himself. Suddenly wary, Sakura offered to make a nice dinner for Kisame if he promised to join them and not stick his swords into their organs. The swordsman frowned at her, "I am not that much of a monster, Sakura," but then ended it with a chuckle and a smirk.

And now, she found herself enjoying this amusing conversation with Kisame. How exactly his stories were worth remembering, she didn't know. But what she _did _find amusing was the fact that Kisame was easier to converse with than she'd estimated. He never ran out of stories to share—that's for sure. But she supposed, after a working with Akatsuki for over a decade, that the shark could have made about several dozens of books telling the reader about his journeys and highly unusual experiences as a ninja. She found Kisame funny and could tell that he was very quick in thinking—especially when it came to counters at her mocking.

"Hey, kid," Kisame suddenly turned to Deidara. "Everything alright in your head?" The eldest saw how Sakura's hearty expression changed and how she took in the last spoonful on her plate and excused herself to the restroom, leaving Deidara and Kisame alone in the kitchen.

The younger man waited to hear the bathroom door shut before he explained. "Sakura, she's… She's getting to me." It was ironic how he'd just denied and pushed away every idea Kisame threw at him about the girl and yet, here he was now, finally admitting. "This afternoon, she left the restaurant and said she had to look for something and never came back, yeah. When I found her, she was with the owner of the bookshop we visited yesterday."

"You're jealous," Deidara shot him a glare but was secretly wondering if he was that easy to see through. "You're practically turning as green as her eyes, man! She really struck you this time, huh?" Aqua eyes wandered away from his face and on his own half-empty platter. Realizing that he wasn't getting any form of response, Kisame continued, his tone becoming somber. "What are you gonna do about it?"

Deidara merely shook his head. "Nothing," he briefly answered, knowing Kisame would understand.

Every time Deidara struggled for something, it only led to disappointments and Kisame knew the blond didn't want a repeat of any of that anymore. When Itachi looked down on him the first time they met during the 'recruiting,' he tried to do something about it and almost happened to blow himself up. That time Kakashi had been chasing him and found little hope for escape, he attempted to do something about it and ended up losing an arm. When he'd lost the most valuable thing he had left, he did something about it and looked for it and instead found himself falling endlessly in her gaze every time she would look his way. And now that he realized he felt something for the girl, he wasn't going to do anything about it this time.

It would only lead to trouble—for both him and her.

"Well, it turns out this little love story won't be happening after all," Kisame mused. For someone like him, anyone would be astonished to find out that Kisame actually hoped for the boy's happiness. He deserved it, after all… For not joining Akatsuki anymore. "What are you going to do if she leaves unexpectedly?"

"As bad as I want to keep her around," he started, "I still stand by my _nothing, _yeah."

Her footsteps on the stairs had them cut the conversation. Instead of returning to the kitchen where she had no business to finish anymore, she slumped on the couch in the living room and sunk herself in deep thought. As soon as both men cleared up the mess in the kitchen, Deidara bid her a silent goodnight and retired in his room while Kisame joined her on the couch by sitting as far as he could from her.

He pulled a scroll from inside his cloak and tossed it to her. Without looking, she caught it with a hand and opened it with her free one. A letter from Tsunade?

_Sakura, your team will be sent to fetch you and escort you back to Konoha. They will be in that country in two or three days tops._

_You've had us so worried that your own team almost begged on their knees to let me let them go and take you back._

_We are not sure of your location so I've had Kakashi track you by his ninken dogs._

Sakura didn't know why but she had a feeling that something about her sent message might have seemed a little off to them and that's why Tsunade had let Team 7 find her. Maybe the method of the mail's arrival raised questions as well. She didn't even know how Kisame had gotten the mail delivered so fast and how a reply arrived just as quick. Whatever it was that had her shishou and Team 7 agitated, she didn't care. All she knew was she had to get out of here—and soon.

"They're coming. I need to leave," Sakura mumbled. Her head snapped to Kisame's direction but she could barely see any traces of surprise—if there were any. She figured as much. Kisame might have been a great companion tonight but she doubted she grew even a little on him.

Kisame didn't respond at once and let her have her moment. Once he decided her time was up, he faced her, his arms crossing against his chest absently. "What about Deidara? You haven't healed him yet and that's the reason he's kept you here."

"I plan on healing him but—" She thought about it. Deidara… He was confusing as he could possibly get, he was short-tempered and was a little dramatic most of the time. He's unreasonable. But something about all that made her want to know him more. She had a lot more questions for him. She wanted to spend more time with him and learn to get used to his flaws. There were a lot of things she'd yet to tell him. A lot more things she wanted to do for him although she didn't have a particular reason in mind to do so. "I have to go. I've got a day to flee from this place."

Kisame shrugged. "Do what you have to do before you leave, pinky," he said, sounding less disappointed than his eyes finally let on. "It's too bad it didn't work for you and the kid. What a couple you two would have made," he grinned playfully.

Sakura didn't want to ponder at that thought. She could only sigh inwardly as she thought to herself that maybe it really was just serendipity that brought them together. Maybe it was just pure coincidence rather than fate tying their lives together. Maybe fate only gave her a detour of some sort and she'd return to her normal life as soon as she'd left meaning that Deidara would be merely a memory to her from then on.

It was depressing how fast things were going. Not that she didn't want to go home but there was just so much she didn't get to ask nor tell him.

"It's sad how you're leaving before his birthday. And why would you leave, anyway?"

"My team—they're going to track me down."

"And you don't want them to find out about Deidara, do you?" Silence. He accepted her unspoken answer. "That's a noble thing to do for the kid but are you sure about it? Deidara told me you told Kakashi about his ass being not so dead. You've already lowered the bait. Are you sure you can still pull it out in time?"

Sakura looked at Kisame for a long moment, mechanically studying his features but was trying to figure it out as well. Kisame was right. She already told Kakashi about her suspicion of Deidara's existence and it would be foolish of her to just withdraw her statement so easily—not when things had gotten this complicated and she knew he suspected her of hiding something. She could feel it in her gut.

"You're observant and analytic, Kisame," Sakura said with a mild disgust and shock in her face.

The shark groaned at her statement. "Don't say that! It's one of the more annoying things that Itachi managed to implant on me during our partnership."

After continuing their small talk, Kisame left, leaving Sakura alone to her thoughts and after an hour of sulking on the couch about what could have happened between them was not possible now, she returned to her room and turned in for the day, a plan suddenly formulating in her mind the last minute.

()

Infuriated. He was beyond that. He was mad again. Just as soon as he woke up, thinking that it was only a goodnight's sleep he needed to help the rage die, he realized he was correct. But the problem wasn't the sleep. His problem right now was Sakura! She was gone but her hitai-ate was left on the foot of her bed. So was her kunai pouch.

Deidara had enough sense not to rummage through her kunai pouch but for some reason, his curiousity got the better of him and wanted to see if the kunai that Sakura had mentioned in her letter and during their conversation over lunch—afterwhich, she left, he reminded himself—was among the kunai she had taken along with her.

He sat on the bed, the pouch on his lap. It snapped open and what he was looking for immediately caught his eye. Despite what he understood, there wasn't just one of it but four stacked neatly at one side of the bag. They were slightly longer than the regular kunai. He carefully pulled one out and marveled at its simple yet complex design.

It rebelled against the color of the traditional kunai with its color being the cleanest shade of white. The base of the kunai along with the ring at the end was kept but the blade was designed in another way. It was divided in two parts though both were designed similar with one another. The design mimicked the shape and curve of fangs. It was thick at the bottom and stretched and curved to one side until it slimmed to the pointed end. It almost looked like an imitation of an ocean wave chasing another—like a sickle with two blades… The blades reminded him of the ones on Hidan's weapon.

"Rummaging through pinky's pouch, eh?" Kisame mused from the doorway. "I don't think she'll be all too happy when she finds out you're snooping around in here."

"It's my house, Kisame. What the fuck are you doing here, anyway, hm? Did you want something?"

The bigger nin chuckled and adjusted Samehada's strap. "I had breakfast here and Sakura was more than happy to make me one… At least, I think she was. Either way, she makes great omelets, did you know? I'll be on my way now."

The blond was immediately in front of Kisame before the gigantic man moved from the door, "She made you _breakfast_?"

Kisame lifted both his shoulders and cocked his head to the side. "Jealous?" Deidara snorted, spinning her kunai on his finger. The shark eyed it for a moment but didn't say a thing. "She was sort of in a hurry though. Little pinky said something about going back to the _bookshop_ and—"

The sound of the word was enough to send the blonde back in his rage as he stormed out of the house and look for Sakura.

"Idiotic little punk," Kisame chuckled, shutting the front door behind him as he watched Deidara's silhouette fade into the forest. "Didn't even remember to change out of his sleeping clothes or brush his hair… Or his teeth."

()

"Really, Dino," Sakura said in a somber tone. "I'm really sorry to have bothered you this early."

It was surprising how a lot of people seemed to know where he lived. But then again, by the size of the town, she assumed that every resident knew everyone else in town. She at first assumed that Dino was famous but if he were then his business would be blooming like flowers during the first week of spring. But even Dino knew that the bookshop was on the verge of bankruptcy.

"It's fine," he said, his tone gentle and comforting. She always liked his voice. "I assume you're here alone and your companion won't be breaking in here due to jealou—"

"He doesn't know I'm here," Sakura cut him off, not wanting to hear whatever he had to say about Deidara. Honestly, she didn't really want to think of him right now. The reason he had pulled her out was obvious and the reason he kept quiet during the rest of the time was even clearer but that was something she didn't want to ponder on. She didn't want to know if her suspicions were correct or not. It's not like she didn't care—she just didn't want to know.

Dino smiled at her as he went in the back of the store to look for the light switch. After flicking it on, he went behind the counter and pulled out Sakura's package and set it on the countertop. "He likes you," _Great. _Sakura didn't want to think of it let alone hear it but she didn't grow mad at the clueless bookkeeper. "I can tell from the first time you guys came in. And I can tell he doesn't really like me given the way he looked at me yesterday before you left."

"I won't be with him for long," she murmured under her breath. "And that's probably a good thing…"

Dino was a civilian but he was no fool when it came to lying. He looked at her indifferently, as if he wanted her to know that he knew. "You're falling," he mused, turning to the cash register, knowing that if he looked to her, he would only find a glare fixated on him. "And you probably didn't want to admit that, did you?"

"I've been with him for a couple of days, Dino. I won't disagree with you if you say he looks good but he's not right for me, if you knew the situation. Seriously."

"You're a kunoichi, right?" He finally said, his face remaining calm as if he'd figured it out from day one. "And he's probably the enemy and that's why you don't want to think about it. By the way, I know he's a shinobi too. And before you ask, I found out when I first looked at both your hands and when you asked for supplies. Not many civilians know what to do with a scroll, you know? And the reason I know you don't come from the same place is because the guy's been coming and going for months now, sometimes with that freakishly blue guy, and you recently joined them. You don't look like you came from these regions either. I should know. I travel a lot and it's only last week when I came back from my journeys."

Sakura remained silent for a while, taking in all he had said. For a civilian, he was quite observant. Civilians were not taught to be paranoid like shinobi were and it kind of shocked her that he'd taken note of the smallest details like she would every time she found a new acquaintance.

"I won't say you're right about your assumptions," _Even if you are_, "But yes. It's kind of like that. Where I come from and where he comes from… It's like a never-ending war and—" She trailed off, not wanting to give any more about Deidara and her supposed-to-be relationship with him. "I just can't afford to get things messed up. Not like this, anyway."

Dino smiled at her, finishing his business with the cash register and pushing the box toward her. "Then you best be on your way soon."

"This will be my last visit here," she informed, a hand landing on top of the box to pull it near her. "Thank you, Dino."

"You're welcome then, Sakura." His eyes lingered from her to the window. Outside was a man who looked like he'd been dragged out of bed. If it weren't for the long blonde hair, he swore, he wouldn't have recognized the guy. "Are you sure he doesn't know you're here?"

Sakura tensed, noticing his troubled gaze over her shoulder. Suddenly, she felt it too—a pair of eyes burning through the thick of the glass and on her back… Or at least it was her back she thought Deidara had been staring daggers at. "He didn't." Her eyes remained fixed on Dino's, finding him having a hard time looking back at the man outside. She could see he was wavering but kept a brave front quite well. She sighed, hugging the small box and finally, with one last glance at the very brave man who returned Deidara's glare, she turned her heel, knowing that Dino's firm but obviously struggling expression was the last face she'd see from him.

As the door shut behind her, she moved to Deidara's side, facing him while he continued to stare inside the shop. Knowing It was pointless to even call his attention because he would either ignore or snap at her, she shook her head and started towards the exit of the town.

Deidara followed not too soon.

* * *

It was torture. Less than a week ago, they'd been enjoying themselves in a spa and now, they were back in action. Last night, they left Konoha and arrived in Kawa no Onsen Machi just before the sun rose. They did not stop, not for food nor water.

Sasuke, as Naruto had noticed, was restless and Kakashi had yet to tell him what really went down that night the blonde had come to Sasuke's apartment to pick him up. He'd heard yelling as soon as he arrived on the Uchiha's doorstep.

The darkest of the three was furious. He didn't want to admit that he might have been careless as to forget to affirm the death of the explosives master. Come back to Konoha or not, Sasuke was still an Uchiha and their pride was one of the many things that Kakashi had found very irritating—especially during situations like this. Only about ninety-nine percent of the Uchiha population would admit they committed a mistake… And this time, with Sasuke being the remaining Uchiha, Kakashi was damn sure he was not a part of the one percent.

After breakfast, Kakashi and his companions were already on the edge of the forest. In a split second, Kakashi had summoned his most trusted ninken, Pakkun.

"I think you'd know by now that we're looking for Sakura," Kakashi started, obviously wanting to find Sakura before anything happened to her… And before one of his teammates did something reckless like go ahead of them, find Sakura and if ever she was with Deidara… Kill him again. "Find her," Kakashi commanded, tossing the strap of Sakura's bag on Pakkun's foot.

The ninken sniffed, taking in and memorizing the scent for a few minutes before looking around. His ears flinched as well as his nose. And what seemed like an eternity ended when Pakkun announced four words. "I've got the scent."

* * *

As much as Deidara wanted to avoid questions from her, he was unfortunate that Sakura finally had enough of his unapparent temper.

"What the _fuck_ is the matter with _you_?" Sakura said, slamming the door behind her with the hand not holding the box against her chest. When they left the village, she was still ahead of him. Angry, Deidara walked past her and advanced several steps from her which Sakura made a big deal of because he was making a big deal out of her seeing Dino.

Deidara whirled around and shot her a glare so piercing that it made her feel like she was actually shot with a kunai. "Nothing, pinky," he snapped, his voice tone raised. He seemed to have adapted to Kisame's nicknaming. Though she would have exchanged banters with the teasing shark out of fun, there was nothing amusing about this situation.

"Oh," she dropped the box gently on the couch and crossed her arms and leaned back a little. "So you're not jealous that I prefer spending time with Dino rather than in this playhouse?" He saw the look in her eye. Her fear and experience was now overwhelmed by fury… Which was caused by him.

"Please," Deidara scoffed. "I've slept with hundreds of women before and—"

Sakura rolled her eyes at that and the blonde stopped, noticing the rude action. "What's that have to do with this? With me? If you were about to tell me that I can never be one of those women you've spent the night with and they're so much better than me, then I won't give a single damn. But you can't tell me that you haven't had strange thoughts since yesterday!"

"Why?" Deidara raised a brow, suddenly appearing smug. "Did you?" She had no reply to that but her answer was clear to him. She was right as well. Last night, before he had gotten to bed, she and her naked body were the last things he thought of before he drifted into a deep slumber. "And if you somehow assume that I did have thoughts because of a little skin, then you were wrong! It began way before that! Way before our meeting in Kawa no Onsen. In fact, your body had nothing to do with…" He noticed her widen her eyes. And his did too once he realized what he had just unconsciously admitted to her.

She didn't want to hear it from him. And though it was indirect, she certainly caught up with his meaning. She looked away from him, not wanting to see whatever expression he had now because of the slip-of-the-tongue and not wanting him to see hers. "Before we met, you already..." She trailed off, not really knowing where she was about to go.

She didn't want to believe his words. She didn't want to believe he'd been thinking of her even before he'd run into her in Kawa no Onsen. Neither did she want to believe that she'd been thinking of him ever since. And the fact that he crossed her mind frequently since yesterday did _not_ help her at all. She wanted to blur it all out as a manipulating lie but the way his words faded in his mouth when he realized what he said and the way he seemed to be surprised at his own words were enough proof that what he had told her was true.

She didn't want to think of it. Sakura was leaving tonight and she didn't want to talk about this. If what he was saying about himself was true and he very well accepted it, it wouldn't be hard for her to accept what she thought she felt at the moment as well. That's was what she was afraid of. If there was a chance that they felt the same, it wouldn't work out anyway. And if they didn't well, that still didn't make things easier.

Finally, after making up her mind to push the matter aside and make it seem like she didn't get where he was going, she looked up at him. It was difficult not to keep a straight face when his was so confused… So angry, regretful and restrained all at once. "Tomorrow," she mumbled, her voice threatening to crack. "I'll heal you tomorrow."

With a firm nod, Deidara quickly made his way past her and climbed to the second floor. She remained still until she heard the door click silently. She slumped on the couch, beside the box, and looked at it for a moment, wondering what to do with it now that she and Deidara seem to be on bad—technically worse—terms. She couldn't just nonchalantly hand him the gift and greet him a casual happy birthday. Nothing was as simple as that with the two of them.

With a sigh of defeat, she took the box and entered her own room as well.

The box had been set on the other side of the bed, out of Deidara's view if he ever thought about entering her room and apologizing or explaining which was highly unlikely. She grabbed the hitai-ate and stared at it for a while. Konoha. If they knew Deidara was alive and she was with him right now, what would they have her do?

Obviously, they would try and get her to stall until a full ANBU squad arrives to incapacitate him just enough to carry him back to her village for interrogation, torture and possibly a sentence to death. Though, now that she thought about it, there was a small chance that the latest of the choices could be omitted from the list since he didn't actually pose a direct threat to Konoha. Kidnap and kill Konoha's allies? He would be pardoned for that. He never did get the opportunity to take one of Konoha's shinobis and even if he did, he failed miserably.

Which was a good start. In his previous life, he never really did do anything to Konoha. And now, he chose the path of a civilian—though she hardly considered a guy with a bloodline limit concealing his very own existence from the rest of the world a civilian. But still, it was better than actually reconciling with his old organization, right? This way, he didn't do any harm. He would hardly want to because of the attention he would gain. And attention was the last thing he wanted now.

If she just left him here, without a trace, it would be easier for everyone. It would be easier for her since he wouldn't have anything to follow in case he had this unlikely urge to go after her. And it certainly would be easier for him since she would leave no track for her comrades to trace back to him. She would make sure there would be no evidence of her ever spending her time here or stepping in this country. She was determined to keep Deidara and this little place in the shadows, hidden from her teammates. He didn't deserve to be exposed—not anymore, at least.

There were a dozen ways her escape could go and she had to think of a full-proof escape. It was going to be a long afternoon.

She didn't come down for lunch. She hardly felt hungry anyway. She'd made so much breakfast this morning and was ashamed to let it all go to waste. She knew Deidara wouldn't risk his intestines exploding so she simply sped up her metabolism as she ate more than the shark ever could and left what she knew Deidara could finish on his own.

Though by the way he looked when she walked out of the bookshop this morning, she was sure the meal she left for him remained on the dining table and was now cold.

Meanwhile, downstairs, Deidara had just finished the meal he'd just seen when he went down to make lunch. Kisame was right. She did know how to cook a decent omelet. He wondered how that was when he had very limited food supply. But then again, his blue-skinned friend might have brought her what she needed.

After finishing the breakfast-turned-cold-lunch, he stepped outside, leaving the whole house to Sakura, knowing that she wouldn't dare to come out and make lunch for herself if she knew he was there. He went to the little paradise, relaxed for a few hours and much to his surprise, when he'd arrived home, there was no evidence that Sakura ever left the room he'd given her.

The dining table was clean. The unwashed dishes he'd used earlier were still on the sink. He attempted to feel for her chakra and then realized she was asleep in her own quarters. When his eyes finall registered that the unlit kitchen was suddenly dim since he last set foot in it, he switched the lights on and continued to make dinner. For the two of them.

He wasn't the greatest cook in the world though Kisame begged to differ. He only made what he could out of the ingredients he had in store. Tonight, it would be chicken soup and a loaf of bread. It was all he had. But he made sure that the chicken soup made up for the lack of food.

He left the soup heated on the stove to prevent it from going cold as he waited for her.

But after half an hour of waiting, he got to his feet and marched to Sakura's room. He didn't bother knocking on the door because she was probably asleep. But unlike he assumed, she was upright on the foot of her mattress, looking deep in thought as she watched nothing on the floor. She was probably too consumed in her own thoughts to even realize he had just entered. Not actually enter since a third of his body did not get to enter the room.

"Dinner," he said, barely even hearing his own voice. But it did get Sakura to notice him. Her expression was calm yet somber, as if he'd just interrupted her praying in front of a grave. "Just come down if you feel hungry."

She nodded faintly. "I am," she reluctantly admitted.

He knew he didn't have to wait up on her. She knew her way to the kitchen and it would be just damn awkward if he led her there and he knew it would just make him seem like he was treating her as some kid. He didn't want to do that—mostly because he didn't want a chakra-boosted fist drilling on his face.

She was only a few steps behind him when he entered the kitchen. He'd gotten her a bowl and everything while she settled herself on one end of the table. He handed her the spoon and the bowl and she began filling it with the chicken soup he'd set in the middle of the table.

Not a word was said throughout the meal. Deidara and Sakura were aware of the uncomfortable weight that their silence bestowed upon them but just let it be knowing that the situation could be much worse. They could be throwing porcelain bowls and well-sharpened knives at each other for all she cared. And he preferred the awkward lack of exchange over Sakura beating him to a pulp.

After the meal, Deidara took her plate. She didn't immediately leave the kitchen. In fact, she didn't leave at all. Even while he was cleaning the dishes, she was still sitting on the end of the table and he could feel her eyes on him. He could sense that she was giving of a sad aura which was quite questionable. But anything was better than her raging aura, that's for sure. When he finished, he didn't leave the sink at once. Instead, he continued to let the water run on his hands. He wished to wait for her exit but since it wasn't happening anytime soon, he turned off the faucet and faced her, meeting her uncertain stare with a collected one.

"Tomorrow, right?" She nodded quietly. "Okay then," he started for the door. "Goodnight."

She didn't respond until he was out of earshot. "Goodbye," she whispered to no one in particular.

She stayed in the kitchen for another hour, watching the squirrel that landed on the window sill. She called on to it. It was an animal and animals could sense danger. She was nervous it wouldn't come to her and thought it may have picked up on her brute strength and her bad temper. But after a few minutes of pleading the creature with her eyes and small gestures of the hand, it finally hopped off of the sill and scurried its way on the top of the dining table.

She fed it bits of bread. She was aware that the forest didn't have what the squirrel wanted and that was the reason it was taking in whatever she gave it.

She never did see squirrels around Konoha. Or maybe she did and she didn't bother remembering.

The ticking of the clock grew louder compared to the squirrel's noises and so she turned to the doorway and looked at the wall clock hanging on top. It was already half-past nine. Sakura tried to find Deidara's chakra. It was replenishing, she could tell, though regularly. It wasn't the one you'd feel when on a battlefield and you could apparently feel the enemy molding more chakra. No, his chakra replenishment was stable.

He was asleep.

In a fluid move, she had the squirrel in both hands and released it back into the forest through window and shut it before leaving the kitchen. She stealthily made her way back to his room.

She closed the door as quietly as she could and made her way on the bed. There was no light in the room save for the natural source that went through the window and on his sleeping face. With the lighting working the way it did now, he looked younger under the pale moonlight. His features seemed smoother—more innocent. He didn't seem like the cold-blooded Akatsuki he'd been before. Maybe he never was what most people thought he was and the reputation of Akatsuki and its deeds merely preceded him.

No, she wouldn't dare think like that. He killed Gaara.

_But that was in his previous life_, her inner countered. It had been a while since it spoke back to her. Whenever inner Sakura would voice her opinion, it was usually because Sakura herself refused to believe in what she knew yet afraid to admit was true. Inner Sakura would just remind her of what she really thinks and how she really feels. And that was the last thing she needed right now.

Gently, she set herself on the side of the bed where Deidara was facing. He felt the mattress shift under her weight and slowly opened his eyes only to see a beautiful maiden sitting before him. It took him a while to recognize the pink hair that turned purple as she blocked the moonlight of the window in the darkness.

"Sakura… What—"

She hushed him and they both exchanged unreadable looks for a while. She was reluctant to leave him the way she was going to but she had no other choice. She didn't want him coming after her. And she wouldn't give him a reason to. "I'm sorry," she said, pressing two chakra-enhanced fingers on his temple and putting him into a state similar to coma—only it lasted for about a few hours.

After putting herself under the influence of her medic mode, she began tending to Deidara's injuries while he lay lifelessly on his own bed. She first started on the minor scars and eventually worked her way to the most serious of them all—the scar on his back. It wasn't pretty but it was nothing she hadn't seen before. Life as a medic gave you a full-access pass to all kinds of injuries that ranged from little cuts to gruesome organs that have been pulled out of the human system through the mouth. And there had been worse cases.

It only took her about half an hour to finish him up. When she healed the last of the battle reminders, she laid him in a comfortable position and pulled the covers to his chest. With one last look, she left his room and went back in her own for a brief moment to tie on her hitai-ate, place the box in the middle of the bed and grab her kunai pouch before she escaped into the dead of the night.

Little did she notice that when she'd hurried to grab what little she left, a single kunai slipped out of the pouch and landed on the bed with its tip first like she meant to stab the bed. It was placed near the box as if she intended on leaving it all along. She failed to notice it due to the fact that Kisame randomly showed up in front of Deidara's doorstep and she was worried the shark would knock at anytime. She had to get out of there fast and therefore missed the kunai slipping from the bag.

()

Kisame was never one to enter a house without anyone opening the door for him but somehow, when his banging on the door or yells for attention were unanswered, he knew something was off and kicked the door off its hinges and let himself in.

The house was still and he noticed the kitchen light was left on and so he switched it off after setting the package he'd. He was a bit disappointed to not find the kunoichi in there, kaing him another batch of omelets. But then again, he didn't really feel her chakra anywhere within his range.

Alarmed, he ran to Deidara's room and woke the blond roughly, kicking his sides with his sandals. "Hey, birthday boy, get up!" Kisame yelled right in his ear. Still, it wasn't enough. He intended to shake Deidara's shoulders but as soon as he touched the younger man, he sensed some of the cherry's chakra. It was faint and weak, probably fading over the hours, but it was still in his system.

He grunted as he pulled Samehada off of his back and placed him beside Deidara's bed. "Okay, pal. Suck only the foreign chakra in his body, okay?" Samehada's scales moved ever so slightly and did as told. Kisame wasn't aware of his sword's ability to eat chosen chakra from a system until a few months ago when he fought with a schizophrenic shinobi who had two types of chakra flowing through his system. Samehada clearly disliked it at one time and even spit it out but when the opponent changed personalities, Samehada practically drooled when he got the taste of its chakra.

In minutes, Deidara was stirring, his eyes shutting further before opening them fully.

"Rise and shine, sunshine. I've got both good news and bad news for you," Kisame said.

Deidara paid only half attention to the shark while he rubbed his head and focused the other half to remind him what happened last night to give him such a headache when he'd been woken up by the elder man. And suddenly, it dawned onto him when he moved to face the window. Her easily influenced hair in the darkness…

"Sakura," his eyes snapped open causing his headache to push further.

Kisame rubbed the back of his head and looked at Deidara as if he was expecting him to lash out for what he was about to say. "Actually, that's part of the bad news," he started. "I can't sense Sakura anywhere near this place. She's gone, man." Kisame knew. He talked to her the night before last night and she told him she needed to leave. She could see her reluctance but she pushed through with it anyway. Leaf. They were more stubborn than most nins realize.

Deidara now looked warily at the other man in the room. "What's the good news then?"

"It's your birthday and I have cake in the kitchen," answered Kisame cheerfully.

The blonde groaned. It certainly did not help the way he reminded him it was his birthday and the one person he wanted to spend it most so far was now gone.

He walked briskly out of his room and slammed Sakura's door open. Kisame followed after. "Dude, it's my room again now that she's gone so be careful with the door?"

"She put me to sleep last night," he thought out loud and Kisame intended to listen to every word. "She went in my room and put me to sleep last night."

The swordsman patted his back. "No worries, Deidara. She might not have wanted you to know she was leaving."

Again, it dawned on him. It didn't hurt. Kisame was patting his back and it didn't hurt one bit. He stepped back in his room and stripped to the waist in front of the mirror. After examining her handiwork, he stepped out of his room and entered the other quarters where Kisame remained in. Deidara gestured to his wholeness as if saying, _look at me!_ Even Kisame was surprised to see Deidara's body free of battle scars. They both bathed in that little paradise once and seeing that scar on his back was more than enough for him to not want to see it anymore.

"She left something for you, though," Kisame finally said. Deidara removed his focus on his body and finally fixed his eyes on the box on the bed. He was too shocked to even notice it before. But he could see it now.

He recognized it. It was the reason he'd glared at Dino yesterday. He saw him handing it to Sakura and was jealous that Dino actually got her something. But if she left it here, in the middle of the bed for him to purposely find, then it probably wasn't for her after all. And it was still closed. No evidence of her ever opening it.

Slowly, he sat on the foot of the bed and pulled the box to him but his eyes lingered on the kunai that was carelessly dropped on the mattress. She hurried to leave, didn't she?

He opened the box, hoping there was nothing in there to jump at him or claw him in the eye. What his eyes saw calmed him and excited him at the same time. It wasn't what he thought it was… Was it? Deidara pulled it out of the package and held it with both hands. It was certainly big for a snow globe, wasn't it? And it probably cost a lot. It worried him yet flattered him to no end at the moment.

"Well, look at that," Kisame mused. "The little pink hell left a birthday present for you," he continued to tease. "What's that?" He suddenly asked, pointing to the blade on the bed. "Looks like a miniature version of Hidan's sickle… One that you can actually buy from a souvenir store because the resemblance is quite remarkable."

Deidara pulled it free from the mattress and took the sight in. "It's one of her kunais. She must have dropped it last night when she…"

None of them spoke for a moment. The house was suddenly very quiet and very lonely again without the pink headed woman prancing around and coloring his home. Kisame left the room and returned immediately with Deidara's cloak in his hands.

"What kind of a gentleman would you be if you didn't try to return it to the girly, right?" He suggested with a smirk.

()

There was no stopping ever since she started running and leaping through the tree branches last night. And now, she was worn out and was drained of her chakra. She needed to crash somewhere.

It was sometimes past noon and the sun was beating on her, feeling like her own fists. She'd already crossed the border of the Rain and was now in the country where Sasuke and Deidara fought for their lives. She would try and find the nearest village and settle there… She would probably arrive there some time before dinner and from the sun's position, she could see that she was somewhere in the southern region of this country.

It would be best if she just kept pushing through since she'd travelled north all night. She should probably change her route and go hunt for the nearest village.

After quenching her thirst on a river a few miles from the border, she started sprinting again. She wanted to get to the nearest village as quick as possible, avoiding any bounty hunters or hunter nins that might come from her. Now was not the time for a battle considering how she'd just spent two-thirds of her chakra on running away.

She felt bad that she had to leave Deidara like that. Was he awake now? Probably not. He wouldn't wake up for at least another hour or two. It was cowardly of her to heal him in his sleep but the fight yesterday really complicated things and the she didn't want him to burn a hole on her while she tended to his scars. The last thing she needed was accidentally looking up to his blue eyes and suddenly feeling caught up in them like she was most of the time.

But she wouldn't deny that Deidara was possessive in an arrogant yet sweet manner. But she was not his yet and vice versa. He had no right to pull her away like he did—like he was claiming her as his own. She wasn't even sure he wanted to go down that road but one thing's for sure now; she was not going to see him again. Ever. And from here on now, she might as well forget about it and move on.

However, something kept her from forgetting Deidara and everything that he _almost_ said. Something she didn't even want to think about. And so, pushing the thoughts aside, she readjusted the straps of her boots and was on her way once more.

It was probably around 5 pm when she finally caught sight of a small village. "Finally," she muttered to herself. "I'll get myself something decent to eat tonight." She snorted at the thought because just last night, she'd had the best chicken soup ever… Made by one of the finest chefs in Akatsuki.

She had to celebrate his birthday for him, one way or another. Kisame mentioned the other night that he'd be bringing cake the next time he visited and she doubted he was kidding at that time. Though it wasn't obvious, the shark felt some sympathy for the man who owned the clay house.

* * *

Sai, Yamato and Kurenai took longer than expected. When they first arrived in this village and checked in the most decent inn around, the owner approached them during the night and asked them to stay a bit longer because his wife was to give birth in a few days.

It caught Kurenai's attention and she immediately asked the Hokage for permission to watch the miracle happen. Reluctant as Tsunade was, she gave in to Kurenai and told her this was coming out of their pay. None of her companions seemed to care as they too were eager to see it.

Some time past 6, Yamato asked Sai to fetch them some dinner. The artist complied and left the inn to hunt for food.

It wasn't long until he found a restaurant that sold a decent pack of tempura and some sushi. As he made his way back from the shopping district, he'd found interest in something—_someone _rather—that looked achingly familiar. "Sakura," he muttered under his breath. He was about to approach her when he saw her walk out of a restaurant but dismissed the idea when he saw her forward to the residential area of the village.

He followed after her stealthily, hiding behind every pole he could squeeze himself into and masking his chakra to prevent her from suspecting anyone around.

He watched her while she watched the inside of the houses from their windows. She moved from one house to the other until she reached for the door and knocked on it. His eyes narrowed, waiting for whoever it was to come out of the house.

As the door opened, and the light illuminated from within the home, he could clearly see it was a civilian woman about two or three years older than Sakura. And before he knew it, Sakura had taken her down with medical jutsu, looked around for caution, and carried the woman's body with her.

That was certainly something you didn't see everyday.


	11. He's Too Late

**I kind of rushed this chapter and the last one. I'm a bit too excited to start on my new fic. I'm sorry if this chapter let you guys down. :(**

* * *

It was a difficult battle considering they were in a foreign territory now and they had to try their best not to draw any kind of attention to themselves. Hunter nins, they were vermin to Kakashi and did nothing but slow them in doing their jobs and carrying out missions. Someday, he swore, he'd go out and kill ever hunter nin he'd come across on behalf of all ninja.

Naruto dropped the last of the nins from his shoulder and piled him on top of the others. He stopped a moment, trying to sense if there were anymore around the thick of the woods. When he could sense nothing, he let his body lean against the nearest tree and groaned, "We need to stop for food now, Kakashi. We haven't stopped to rest in a day. I'm _so_ hungry."

The Copy Nin could tell it was past lunchtime though he wasn't sure because the branches and leaves of the trees were too thick to even see the sun's position.

They'd been running non-stop to get a hold of Sakura's scent before it faded away. And though Naruto was right about stopping to replenished their diminished energy, there was something that hindered them from doing so.

"There isn't anything to hunt around here," Sasuke interjected. "If you haven't noticed, we scared away every creature within three kilometers. Neither did we pass a river or any source of water."

Kakashi firmly nodded at Sasuke's statement. "We need to keep going. Let's walk for now and we'll reach the nearest village before sunset," he suggested. He then looked to his little ninken and gestured for him to lead the way.

()

Kisame's regular ranting about his wasted efforts on buying Deidara's cake was getting on the celebrant's last nerve. They'd travelled seven miles already and they haven't passed one mile without the shark groaning and mumbling about his hard work looking for a decent cake and his wasted money.

"For the last time," Deidara growled, "I don't care about that stupid fucking lousy excuse of a cake! Now, can you locate where Sakura's chakra is now?"

The older of the two halted in his steps and held Samehada. The sword's scales flinched at glowed yet after a moment, Kisame shook his head. "Pinky got a head start. Several hours is enough for her to get out of this country and cross any border she wants to if she went all out. And considering that we reached seven miles in just two hours and found nothing must mean she moved real quick. Seems like she was desperate enough to get away from you."

Deidara shot him a _not-helping_ look and scratched his head. "I should have carried my clay pouch when I sprinted out of the house," he muttered in a sigh. He could have just molded some giant bird and hopped on it and would have no difficulty in traveling at all. He just had to be a careless asshole, didn't he?

"That's why I was calling you back, idiot," Kisame snickered as he smacked Deidara's head.

They were now crossing a plain meadow with tall grass that reached just over their waists. The sun was merciless like hell and Deidara didn't know how much more he could take the heat. Kisame had difficulties in catching his breath in the intensely dry weather. Though, compared to a normal shark which was supposed to be dead several hours back after their little journey began, Kisame was perfectly fine.

After a few more hours of traveling, the two nins finally crossed the border and Samehada at last found traces of Sakura's chakra. It wasn't fresh and woodland creatures seemed to have trampled all over it but the sword was amazing enough to track it down. They headed south and continued to follow the chakra she left behind and it seemed to grow stronger with every kilometer they crossed.

()

Sakura held on her ice-cold glass of lemonade and sat on the dining table across the open window where the summer breeze passed through, waiting for her companion to finish her afternoon shower and sit in the dining room with her. It wasn't long until a blonde woman stepped into the kitchen and took a seat beside the nin.

"How's the water, Akiko?" She asked the perky-looking woman.

Akiko dragged the pitcher containing the same drink Sakura had in her glass and poured herself some. "Just how everyone wants it to be this summer," she chuckled. "Hair-raisingly ice cold. By the way, it was nice of you to stop by and see me again last night, Sakura-san."

The kunoichi smiled and said nothing at the blonde's politeness. It was amazing what medical jutsu and genjutsu could do to a brain when combined and used in the right way. She didn't even know this woman until last night and yet, here they were with Akiko believing that she and Sakura had been friends for years. It was perfect for the story she sold her shishou. Although she didn't feel good at all about lying to her master… Or her comrades.

"It's the least I could do after everything you've done for me," she lied. "Some of my friends will be coming to pick me up later though. It's such a shame we could only get together for such a short time."

Akiko shrugged and began to sip on her glass. Sakura did the same, observing the trees in Akiko's backyard sway with the summer wind.

This was nice, Sakura thought, suddenly imagining herself retired in a small townhouse if she were lucky enough to live until her forties like the Godaime and the Sannins did. But it would take some sort of miracle for that to happen. She knew that even in her retirement, shinobi-related troubles would still haunt her from time to time. But it was still nice to hope for a life as simple as this. Sitting in a kitchen with no troubles to bother the calm of the house. She could do whatever she wanted to and visit places she'd never enjoyed before… And perhaps, someday, if she did live like this, she just might take into consideration visiting Deidara.

"Deidara," she whispered to no one in particular. He was awake now, she was sure. Did he like her gift? Was he mad when he found no one else in the house? Was he coming after her? Unfortunately, she was never going to figure out the answer because in a couple of hours, her team would be here and escort her back to Konoha.

After finishing her glass, she rose from her seat and took off to the bathroom and bathed as well. Travelling all night without rest was exhausting and it wasn't a pretty sight to get a hold of after.

After the shower, she and Akiko went into town to get some fresh air after being cooped up in the little house since sunrise.

Akiko kept telling Sakura stories that Sakura had no idea of. She kept babbling about people Sakura never met and would never know. But there were also stories that Sakura already knew—stories that she purposely installed in her system to make it seem like they knew each other for a long time. All she could do was endure this and laugh until later this afternoon. It made her feel bad that she had to involve an innocent civilian into her little lie—all to keep Deidara's existence a secret.

After dinner, they both went back in Akiko's house and not too soon, someone was knocking on the front door. A familiar chakra presence stood on the other side. In fact, six chakra signatures were there and four of them, she recognized well.

The blonde got up to answer the door but Sakura rushed to open it before Akiko could. "Uhm, could you prepare another pitcher of lemonade, Akiko? I'll take care of them. They're my friends." Akiko did not question her any further and detoured into the kitchen while Sakura answered the door.

She opened it, revealing her team along with Kurenai and Yamato. She smiled at them and hugged her team one by one. The wood jutsu user as well. She understood why Yamato was here—because she was a part of his team once—but she did not at all get why Kurenai was with them.

"Yamato, Kurenai," she greeted. "I was kinda expecting that only—"

"Our jobs were done so we managed to tag along," Sai answered. It wasn't a lie but it wasn't the whole truth either. It's true that their mission was finished but he knew Sakura was thinking they tagged along all the way from Konoha when in fact, Yamato only ran into Kakashi by chance when they arrived, looking for Sakura.

No one else from the group countered Sai's half-sincerity, mostly because they didn't know what was going on but Team Kakashi seemed to have a clue.

Kurenai was the first to let herself in, "I didn't know you were staying in this town too. How long have you been here?"

The others followed and made themselves comfortable on the couch, leaving no space for Sakura nor the resident. Fortunately, Kurenai's question was forgotten when a blonde woman emerged from the kitchen with a tray of glasses and a pitcher of pink lemonade.

"Good evening, everyone. Help yourselves with this lemonade. I made it myself," Akiko cheered, remaining clueless about the situation.

Sakura sighed inwardly in relief and asked Akiko to entertain the guests while she cleaned up before a long trip. It only took a few minutes and when she came out of the washroom, Akiko was telling them something about going to the spa together and the rest of the group seemed to be buying it. Except for Sai. But he was always indifferent. Still, there was something wrong with him.

After a few minutes, Sakura was bidding Akiko a goodbye and kissed her on the cheek in the middle of a hug. Her hands trailed to the back of Akiko's neck and plunged her chakra into just beneath the hairline. Akiko then yawned and closed the door after telling Sakura that she was turning in early today for some reason.

Sakura smiled and waved to a girl she would never meet again.

()

Maybe he was never meant to follow her after all. Maybe he was never meant to leave his necklace in that drawer after all… Maybe he was never meant for a second chance… Or maybe he just wasn't meant to be happy.

In an alley several feet away from a little townhouse, he and Kisame concealed themselves within the shadows, watching Sakura leave with her team. The younger was gripping her kunai tightly in his hand and his jaw clenched at the sight.

He was too late.

Kisame mumbled something about looking for kunai polish that Deidara mostly didn't catch but he let him go anyway. The shark knew he needed some time alone and he would probably want to let his anger out by blowing stuff up. If that was the case, he didn't want to be around for that.

Diedara stayed put and watched her until she faded into the crowd of the commercial area of the village. He couldn't believe it. After all the effort he put into running after her, it was too late. He'd put up with Kisame and his pointless rants and endured the after effects of the jutsu Sakura used to knock him unconscious. After all that, this was what he ended up with—the sight of Sakura's back alongside her teammates and she never did once look back.

He would never confess it to anyone but he felt attracted to her. More than that, he liked her. Again. Just the fact that she tried to leave him unconscious made him want to leap out and grab her by the waist and bring her back. But he knew she wouldn't want that. A small clay house in the middle of the forest was not where she was meant to be.

She was meant for greater things—that, he could see clearly. She was meant to change the ninja world along with her jinchuuriki friend. She was destined to do great things and meet great people and that did not include him.

Though the pang in his chest felt more physical by the minute, he knew he had to let her go. They were never meant to meet each other in the first place, anyway.

And so, with one last look at the direction where she and her team took off, he sighed, placed the kunai in his own pouch and turned his heel to look for Kisame. But as he walked, he slowed his pace when he felt a pair of eyes burning a hole on his back. He stopped and slightly turned around and saw a small brown pup sitting about three meters from him.

"Stupid mutt," he smirked and was on his way again, knowing very well what that was and whose it was.

()

It was morning and they were to travel for another two days to get back to Konoha. It took longer this time because they weren't in such a hurry any longer. The sun rays pierced through Sakura's eyelids. Jade eyes fluttered open and she got up when she realized that no one else was in the camp site. Only she and Sai were left.

Almost immediately, she got to her feet and stretched her arms over her head. "Where are the others?"

Sai looked up from his sketchpad, glanced at her before going back to work. "Talking about Deidara."

Her arms tensed and her muscles stopped stretching. Her heart was now pounding in her ears. No, it couldn't be. Did they find out? "What about the guy?"

"Actually, that's why I volunteered to stay behind and watch you," he said, finally flipping his pad close and returning it to his pack. "I saw what you did to Akiko the other night, Sakura. You weren't really in that town before, were you?" Sakura put her arms down and listened to Sai as he continued. "We were there for two days already. I haven't seen you there since the night before. And while Kakashi was asleep last night, Pakkun was trying to wake him up but I stopped him. The dog said he saw Deidara. Kakashi should know this by now but I talked to him before he went away with the others. I told him that it was not his decision whether to tell Naruto and Sasuke or not. And he complied."

She didn't know whether to punch Sai or not for being so shockingly considerate. She smiled at him and hugged him tight. "Thank you," she whispered. "There is a lot that I need to explain to you and Kakashi." She slowly let him out of her hug but her hands grasped firmly on his arms. "But you have to promise not to tell anyone… Especially not Sasuke and Danzou. If the old creep finds out, he will banish Sasuke from Konoha. The only reason Sasuke is back with us is because he was the reason why Konoha has one less dangerous threat."

"I acknowledge that, Sakura," he smiled. "But you do know you'll have to explain yourself to the Godaime. What are you going to tell her then?"

"I haven't figured it out just yet…"

"Maybe you should tell her the truth, you know? She'll probably understand."

"Yeah, I hope she will."


	12. Six Years Against One Night

**The last chapter was really rushed and I'm sorry if this disappointed you but I have to tell you guys that this is not an impulsive ending. This is the exact ending I wanted... Only I imagined it longer. But I have a lot of schoolworks so I can't really work on it that much anymore. No beta for this so pardon the errors.**

* * *

Six years passed by since that sudden run-in with a certain blonde explosives master. Six whole years and only she, her shishou, her former-sensei and Sai knew of Deidara's existence. But that was just within the borders of Konoha. Outside of the gates, she wondered if there was someone else besides Kisame who acknowledged Deidara's presence in this world.

Six whole years and not a day passed without her worrying about Deidara. Not a day passed without her wanting to meet him again just to see how he was doing. Was he still alive? She sure hoped so. Six whole years and she wished she could have learned to love him. Or even if she did, everyday, she wished she told him before she left.

She sure was glad when Kakashi and Sai understood why they had to keep it under wraps and was thankful when Tsunade agreed to keep it a secret as well. Though her shishou was reluctant, the Godaime did it out of respect towards her student. Sakura never really did reveal one of Tsunade's secrets so why should she? But if all this managed to mess up and affect Konoha, it was all on Sakura's head. And so, for six years, Sakura hoped everyday that Deidara never set foot back into Akatsuki.

So far, nothing else happened except for the fact that Akatsuki's goals are now in vain because they are long past the due date of their sole mission. Deidara never showed up in the picture so she was safe. So far.

Now, here she was, somewhere near the border of the country where Hidden Rain was located, hoping that finally, after six years, she would get to see Deidara again. She was in Akatsuki territory again, on the fourth quarter of their mission.

"Sakura," Kakashi's voice snapped her out of her daze, suddenly realizing that her thigh was cramping because she'd been crouching long enough. "Did you check the perimeter already?"

She nodded at the leader of the team. "Yes. No trespassers whatsoever just yet. We can cross the border and not have any problems." She stood straight and stretched her legs. "This would be so much easier if I took Neji with me and you took Shino with you. Pairing the two of them is just so unfair when they can easily detect intruders."

"_My bugs are not meant for wide-ranged detection, Sakura," _a low voice rang through their earpieces. _"They are meant for battle and spying, not search and rescues."_

She rolled her eyes at that and tried to ignore his know-it-all comment. "How's your search going?"

"_Not good," _Neji spoke quickly, probably too annoyed by the Aburame's arrogance. _"Hold on… There's…" _Sakura held her earpiece against her ear and adjusted it while she listened to the sound of sandals stepping rapidly on branches and rustling of leaves on the other end. _"No, it was just a deer. That's the last kilometer of this area. We'll have to retreat before some Rain nins find us. Is it safe to cross the border back to the other country?"_

"Yes, it's safe," Sakura sighed, feeling defeated. "At least for the next four hours so you better hurry up and get your asses over here." Since she got back in Konoha six years ago, they'd been looking for clues and traces that led to Kabuto and yet so far, they were as lucky as a leprechaun in a blue suit with a black cloud hanging over his head. Sakura removed her earpiece, turned it off and kept it in her pocket. "Nothing, still," she groaned, slumping on the dusty forest floor. "Are you sure he's not dead yet?"

"His face is still in the books so he's most likely alive yet good at keeping people in doubt," Kakashi answered. "They better get here soon or we'll have to camp in this country for one more night."

After an hour, Neji and Shino arrived at the rendezvous point and leaped through the trees, ready to cross the border. However, just as soon as they were to leave the country, all four of them detected a powerful source of chakra heading towards them—one that Sakura recognized a little too well. Whoever it was, it wasn't evading them. In fact, it was trying to run into them. And they realized it not too soon.

They all descended from the trees and got into their fighting stances—all except for Sakura who was anticipating it very calmly. The Copy Nin recognized a faint smile across her features. He didn't know if the other two didn't see it or they did and they just didn't understand what it was all about. Sakura told him about Kisame and how they would bicker at each other and how he seemed almost harmless when not on a mission.

Well, now, the shark must be on a mission so he wouldn't be as harmless as Sakura claimed him to be.

And then, he was there in all his blue and aquatic glory. Kisame flickered in sight, a toothy grin on his face as he scanned the four, his eyes lingering the most on the smallest of them all. This time, Kakashi knew their companions noticed it, the faint smile that grew into a knowing smirk as the cloaked man and the petite kunoichi stared at one another. Kisame gave her the same knowing look with an eyebrow raised.

"What do you need?" Shino said, breaking the silence and the silent communication between Sakura and the shark. "You knew we were coming and did not conceal your chakra. Nor did you try to avoid our path."

Kisame scowled at the interruption. "Well, don't get your sunglasses in a twist," he snickered darkly. "I purposely did not avoid you not to pick a fight but to meet some old acquaintances, eh Kakashi?" Kisame then looked at Kakashi but immediately back to Sakura. "I wanted to see how much has changed over the years."

"Of course," Kakashi answered straightly, his eyes narrowing down on Kisame and Sakura.

"Missing a kunai, Sakura?" Sakura's smile faded and her eyes widened. The first time she opened her kunai pouch was when she finally reached home to polish all her weapons. She was one custom-made kunai short. She gave him a faint nod and he returned it. "You never really gave _us_ a chance to give it back, did you?"

"No, I guess not…" She trailed off. Then silence enveloped them once more. She opened her mouth to speak. She wanted to ask about Deidara but shut her lips closed when she realized that here and now was not the place to ask about him.

Kisame could see it. Hundreds of questions just waiting to come out of her yet she has to keep them all locked in because of her comrades. Hundreds of questions and yet there was only one answer that would settle the mystery down. "We're all alive here, aren't we?" he said. "Still continuing the lives we led before we parted ways before. Nothing changed over the years. That's good to hear, isn't it?"

Sakura looked to the ground, trying to fight back her smile. She was glad to hear it. Such an innuendo coming from the foul-mouthed shark. It was such a paradox as to how he could look so mean and brute when he really was wise deep inside. Way _deep_ inside. "Yes," she whispered. "It is good to hear."

"I'll be on my way then," he said, loosening the straps of Samehada and walking around them, dragging his sword and leaving a trail behind him. "If you have the guts, you can always try and find him. But then again, he never travels without me these days. Sayonara, pinky," he waved at her but didn't look back.

She and Kakashi looked at each other for a moment. The leader nodded and led the way. A silent understanding between the two of them.

They both knew Kisame wanted her to follow him and Kakashi was going to allow it. It's been six years and Kisame has done no damage against Konoha so he was going to allow it.

After crossing to the next country, they all set a camp two kilometers away from the border. Kakashi tried to cover for Sakura and Sakura would help him a little but let him do most of the talking. Shino was too curious for his own good and if he managed to get on Sakura's nerves one of these days, she'd have to put him into coma for about three years or so.

It was late into the night when the campfire Kakashi had built began to falter.

"Sakura, kindly look for some fire wood. The wood a few kilometers back would be nice," Kakashi said in a knowing tone. "They don't burn easily and are perfect for keeping a whole night's fire burning."

Sakura complied and flickered out of sight, leaping into the night and going back to the site where Kisame and her team ran into each other. The trail he left was still there and she followed it as fast as her feet could take her. If she was gone for too long, Shino would raise another batch of questions for her. She had to do this real quick.

The trail ended in a hollow spot in the woods. There was nothing there. Nothing. Not even a hint of any chakra signatures. Maybe she was an hour too late, she thought. No. She knew someone was here and she just had to wait for it. Whatever _it_ was, she would have to find out soon.

And there _it_ was—a kunai was thrown from behind her—flying an inch from her cheek—stuck on the tree in front of her. She approached the tree and pulled back the weapon, smiling at its design. It was hers. She pocketed it quickly and was ready to turn around to meet the attacker when he spoke.

"What took you so long, hm?" An achingly familiar voice said. It was too familiar in her ears that it wrenched her heart.

After six years, he was here again.

Slowly, she turned around. The corner of her eye caught sight of golden hair that gleamed under the moonlight. It was enough to send tears into her eyes but she had to control her emotions. And then there he was, standing before her in a pair of black slacks and a gray shirt. Reluctantly, she walked towards him and when she was several inches from him, she reached out a hand and collected several strands of hair in her fingers just to justify his existence.

"Gomen," she said, finally letting the strands fall on his shoulders. He kept his hair the way it was a few years ago though his features we more mature when she last saw him. He looked like he hadn't been able to sleep for months and he was less masculine now but there were still traces of his previously toned body. He was real. "I don't know what to say right now but…"

"I do," Deidara whispered, letting his hands play on her hair this time. "I hate you. I hate you for leaving me like that. Without so much as a goodbye, Sakura. I wondered if you were ever coming back to check up on me," he smirked.

Her eyes widened at that. "You were hoping I—" She looked up at him, finally seeing the dull in his eyes that expressed so much loneliness and so much exhaustion. He'd been waiting for her to come back all this time.

"Every single day," he smiled at her, cupping her face gently in his scarred palm. Her eyes began to water once more and now, she couldn't help but weep against his hand. But she suddenly stopped when she felt the lips on his palm kiss the tear that seeped between their skins. "I always remembered every significant detail of yours. The coral pink hair that no paint could ever do justice. Skin so fair it seemed like snow under water," Sakura had to laugh at that to fight her blush as she recalled that day in paradise with him. "And eyes so radiant and meaningful that no gem could ever replace it."

He wiped the corner of her eye with his thumb and continued to look at her, finally noticing the evidences of her lonely years. "Looks like you've had your fair share of sleepless nights," he chuckled. She couldn't answer him. She was too busy trying to control her tears. "Hey, it's alright now. We got to meet again, didn't we?" She nodded. "What's the matter?"

"I just can't believe it," she smiled, raising her hands to rest on his biceps. Long ago, she would have hesitated to do this but now, this may be the last time she would see him. And in the past few years, she'd done her share of wrong deeds to protect the ones she loved. Why should Deidara differ? "And to think we had to meet on this very day."

"Yeah," he leaned in closer to Sakura slowly, giving her a chance to turn away. She didn't. And that was all Deidara needed tonight. "Happy birthday to me," his other hand found her back and pulled her as close as he dared and kissed her demandingly. After six years of locking up his feelings because it was the least he could do to keep himself from going to Konoha to do this, he finally had her in his arms and claimed her lips.

Sakura's hands fisted into his shirt, trying to fight her feelings but they were too much. She let the moment take over and gave into his kiss. Acknowledging her surrender, Deidara groaned and begged for entry into her mouth, licking and nibbling on her bottom lip. It wasn't hard for her to let him in.

He took a step forward, signaling her to step back. He led her until she was pressed up against a tree, her hands gliding up into his hair and tugging lightly. He growled again and let his hands travel to her waist, pinning her to the tree. His kisses trailed away from her lips until his lips found her neck. Her head tilted to the side, allowing him access to the skin above her collar. She moaned at the new sensation and Deidara's lips met hers once more to keep her quiet.

Minutes later, they stopped, knowing that they couldn't cross the line just yet. No, they could _never_ cross that line. This was enough for the two of them. And it was definitely more than enough for Sakura when she realized he was a damn good kisser.

She let go of his hair and entwined her fingers at the back of his neck. "I cared for you," she whispered, her lips brushing against his. "I still do. And I wish I could have told you before."

"I wish I could have told you that I loved you before I even met you, yeah," he chuckled, kissing her lightly again. She pulled away this time, looking at him with a serious face, like she didn't want to believe it. "I loved you," he said, finally pulling her into a hug—one that she easily gave in to. "I love you, Sakura. I really do and you have no idea how long I've wanted to hold you like this."

"Deidara, I—" There were no exact words to express exactly how she felt right now. All she could do was hug him tightly in return. "I wish I told you sooner too."

The moment between the two was ruined when a particular fish out of the pond, as Deidara once put it, entered the clearing. "What a nice reunion. You finally told her, huh?"

"Fuck off, fish face," Deidara said, letting go off Sakura and throwing a rock that he had picked up at Kisame. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Here to spoil the moment and tell you that Neji just activated his byakugan and he might get a hold of you two making out in the moonlight," He leaned against the nearest tree and crossed his arms. "It's time to say goodbye, kid."

Sakura chuckled and faced Deidara properly, reaching out a hand. "We never really got to bid each other goodbye properly, did we?"

Deidara shook her tiny hand and smirked, "No, I don't believe we ever did. But let's not hope this is goodbye. Goodbye means forever."

"Farewell then?"

"Farewell." He tightened his grip on her and she expected him to do what he did—he pulled her roughly into another kiss before letting her go back to her team. "Until we meet again, Sakura."

"Until we meet again," she whispered as she made her way into the forest.

()

Everything they had been hiding and denying for so long overwhelmed the two of them. After six years of pushing aside what they thought was unwanted, that night changed everything inside the two of them.

And after a year, since their meeting under the moonlight, here Sakura was, in front of a very familiar clay house that was moved from the border of the Rain Village to the border of the country—right where Kisame said it would be.

She looked at her bags, a bit sad that she had to leave home after Naruto was announced Hokage. But she had to take advantage of it. Naruto would let her do anything, she knew and so she asked to leave the village to take care of a patient that whose treatment was long overdue.

She heard footsteps from inside and so she carried her bags in both hands and greeted the long-haired blonde with a smile when he opened the door for her.

"Welcome to my home," he said.

She entered, dropping her bags by the doorstep and flung her arms around him. "Correction," she said with a sweet smile, "_our _home." She then kissed him briefly and let him go.

"So, what made you change your mind?" He asked, assisting her with her luggage. "Kisame told me that you distinctly said that nothing in the world would make you leave Konoha."

"No, I'm not leaving Konoha for anything," she said. "But I sure will leave Konoha for a certain someone."

Deidara pulled her into his arms and hugged her as tight as he could. "It's a good thing I'm good looking, huh?"

"Don't flatter yourself. Good looks won't washt the dishes or do the laundry now, will they?"

He merely chuckled, pulling her into a passionate kiss. One that they haven't shared in a year. After the brief kiss, they both smiled sweetly knowing that they'll be able to get enough of those for the rest of their lives.


End file.
